US drugs testing ruled unconstitutional

The United States Supreme Court has issued a ruling in support of the right to privacy after a group of women complained about hospitals testing for illegal drugs.

A hospital in South Carolina had been testing pregnant women and passing the results to the police, as part of its response to the widespread use of crack cocaine in American cities.

The hospital argued it was trying to provide proper medical treatment for its patients. The law in South Carolina protects unborn children if they are deemed able to live outside the womb. But the Supreme Court accepted that the women's constitutional right to privacy had been violated, and said the tests were a form of search that required either a warrant or consent.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service