An Iowa newborn’s umbilical cord tested positive for cocaine, but his mom said ‘I have never taken cocaine in my entire life’

A viral X post accused Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services of pursuing a child abuse case against a mother even after her newborn’s initial positive drug test was followed by repeated negative results. According to the Daily Dot, the post claimed the woman’s baby tested positive for cocaine via an umbilical cord test despite her insisting she never used the drug, and that a subsequent home search found no other evidence of substance use.

The family behind the story is Emily and Michael Donlin of Des Moines. Their son Paul was born on the back porch of their home on March 30 after labor progressed too quickly to make it to the hospital. Emily was later taken by ambulance to Broadlawns Medical Center for a checkup, where staff tested a portion of the umbilical cord without her knowledge or consent, according to AOL.

The result came back positive for cocaine, and the family was reported to Iowa Child Protective Services. “I have never taken cocaine in my entire life,” Emily said. “This is not an exaggeration. I have literally never taken cocaine.” Broadlawns declined her request to retest the sample.

Seven more tests all came back negative

Two weeks after Paul’s birth, a caseworker arrived unannounced to tell the couple that Emily had been deemed founded for child abuse. Over the following weeks, she underwent seven additional drug tests, including a random state-ordered urine test and a hair test capable of detecting substance use over 12 months. All came back negative. Home inspections in April and May turned up no other evidence of drug use either.

Anthony Burriola of Mid-Iowa Occupational Testing said umbilical cord testing is roughly 99.9 percent accurate, though he noted that sample mix-ups between patients, while rare, are the more likely explanation for a false positive than a flaw in the test itself. He added that urine tests are only reliable if the substance was used within four to five days of the sample, while hair tests can miss one-time or infrequent use entirely.

Despite the negative results, the case escalated into a Child In Need of Assistance proceeding. In November, the family received a letter stating the state would recommend removing their two sons from their custody ahead of a scheduled hearing. “It really does change your whole perspective when a government body can accuse you of something that you haven’t done, and they can remove your children,” Emily said.

The story drew significant reaction online after the summary spread on X, with one commenter writing, “Any umbilical cord positive test should’ve been retested at two separate independent labs not affiliated with the first. And the first clean hair test should have been end of story. Lawyer up and sue time.” Similar hospital disputes involving parental rights have gone viral before, including an Oregon mother who said she was denied access to her own son’s medical records.

On November 20, a Monroe County judge dismissed the case after a report from the children’s court-appointed guardian ad litem found no ongoing safety concerns and no further evidence of drug use. Emily will still remain on Iowa’s child abuse registry for five years because of the original founded report, and the couple said they are exploring legal options to have her name removed. “I can forgive mistakes,” Emily said. “I can forgive a lab if they give me a false positive drug test. I don’t know if I can forgive the nonconsensual drug tests.”

According to the advocacy group Pregnancy Justice, medical provider reports account for roughly one in three cases nationwide that draw families into contact with child protective services or law enforcement, with the vast majority tied to substance use during pregnancy. Pregnancy Justice president Lourdes Rivera said such policies have often been shown to disproportionately affect people of color and low-income patients.

Iowa hospitals, including Broadlawns, UnityPoint Health, and MercyOne, say they follow risk-based screening guidelines developed by the Iowa Neonatal Quality Collaborative, and state law does not require parental consent for newborn drug testing, even though consent is required if the test is performed on the mother directly. A 2023 bill that would have required all newborns in Iowa to be tested and mothers charged with child endangerment over positive results stalled in a subcommittee.

Iowa HHS said in a statement that ensuring children’s safety is its top priority and that mandatory reporters are legally required to report suspected abuse.