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Committee hears bill to loosen mandatory reporting, testing for prenatal substance exposure
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony supporting Senate Bill 22-32, which would change mandatory reporting and newborn testing requirements for parental substance or alcohol exposure during pregnancy, allowing clinician discretion and a reporting waiver for patients engaged in treatment.
Senate Bill 22-32, which would change North Dakota’s mandatory reporting and newborn testing rules for prenatal exposure to controlled substances and alcohol, was the subject of a House Human Services Committee hearing where medical groups and clinicians urged the panel to give the bill a “do pass.”
Proponents told the committee the bill would preserve the physician–patient relationship and reduce deterrents that keep pregnant people from seeking prenatal care and addiction treatment. They said the current law requires reporting and, in some cases, automatic testing of newborns when any substance use occurred at any time during pregnancy.
Dr. Anna Tobias, an obstetrician and…
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