Many pregnant women, some who bled in labor, are turned away from ERs despite federal law

August 15, 2024 Gloria Shaw

Kyleigh Thurman, a 25-year-old woman from Texas, endured a life-threatening experience due to a delayed and inadequate response to her ectopic pregnancy at Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital.

After being initially dismissed and advised to “let nature take its course,” she returned three days later still in pain, only to find that her fallopian tube had ruptured, threatening her life and jeopardizing her future fertility.

Thurman’s ordeal, now the subject of a federal complaint filed by her and the Center for Reproductive Rights, is part of a broader pattern of inadequate emergency care for pregnant women in the wake of strict abortion laws.

Thurman’s case highlights the complexities and dangers surrounding pregnancy care in Texas, where doctors can face up to 99 years in prison if convicted of performing an illegal abortion.

Although state law excludes ectopic pregnancies from the abortion ban, the fear of prosecution has caused hesitation among healthcare providers, potentially endangering patients.

This fear, combined with unclear guidelines, led to Thurman being discharged without proper treatment, resulting in the rupture of her fallopian tube—a medical emergency that required immediate attention.

When Thurman returned to the hospital a third time, she was informed that she would need surgery to remove the ruptured tube, which had caused significant internal bleeding.

Her doctor warned her that without the surgery, she could die from blood loss. “That’s when I just kind of was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m, I’m dying,’” Thurman recalled through tears.

The Center for Reproductive Rights has filed complaints with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, alleging that Thurman and another patient, Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz, were denied necessary care for ectopic pregnancies at Texas hospitals.

25-year-old Norris-De La Cruz also lost a fallopian tube and most of an ovary after being sent home without treatment, despite a doctor advising that discharge was “not in her best interest.”

These incidents are not isolated. An Associated Press investigation revealed that more than 100 pregnant women in medical distress have been turned away or negligently treated in emergency rooms since 2022.

These cases span across states with and without abortion bans, reflecting a nationwide issue in emergency pregnancy care.

In Florida, a woman miscarried in a public restroom after her condition was misdiagnosed as “improved” and she was discharged without consultation with an OB-GYN. Another Florida woman, whose water broke at 15 weeks, was denied an abortion due to state law, despite the clear risk to her health.

Medical and legal experts argue that abortion bans have complicated emergency care for pregnant women, creating dangerous situations where doctors are hesitant to act due to fear of legal repercussions.

Texas Right to Life Director John Seago acknowledged that state law protects doctors from prosecution for terminating ectopic pregnancies but agreed that “sending a woman back home is completely unnecessary, completely dangerous.”

The impact of these restrictive laws is being felt beyond Texas. In California, Nebraska, Arkansas and South Carolina, doctors failed to check for fetal heartbeats or discharged patients who were in active labor, leaving them to deliver at home or in ambulances.

Staffing shortages and the difficulties of diagnosing complex pregnancy complications have further exacerbated the problem.

Dara Kass, an emergency medicine doctor and former U.S. Health and Human Services official, warned that it is becoming “increasingly less safe to be pregnant and seeking emergency care in an emergency department” due to these factors.

Thurman’s case and others like it underscore the urgent need for clarity in emergency pregnancy care guidelines and protections for healthcare providers who act in the best interest of their patients.

Without these measures, more women may face life-threatening situations when seeking care for pregnancy-related emergencies.

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