Pregnancy Tests No Longer Mandatory For Women At Alameda County Jail

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Alameda County sheriff's office will no longer require women arrested and booked into the county jail to undergo a pregnancy test under the terms of a settlement.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California announced Wednesday it had settled its lawsuit against the Sheriff's Office challenging the pregnancy test requirement. The civil liberties group sued the sheriff's office last year on behalf of women -- one of them 69 -- who said the requirement was humiliating, invasive and offensive.

Sheriff's Sgt. J.D. Nelson said a judge had required the tests in response to a lawsuit alleging women inmates were not receiving adequate prenatal care.

The ACLU said the test will now be optional and only administered by medical staff.