Texas Women with Ectopic Pregnancies File Complaints After Hospitals Deny Abortions!
Two women in Texas have filed federal complaints against hospitals that refused them abortions for ectopic pregnancies, claiming they faced severe health risks and lost their fallopian tubes after being turned away repeatedly.
Ectopic pregnancies, where a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, are a serious medical condition that can lead to death if not treated promptly. This type of pregnancy is the leading cause of maternal mortality during the first trimester and occurs in about 2% of pregnancies.
Kyleigh Thurman, one of the women filing the complaints, shared her experience of being denied care. “For weeks, I was in and out of emergency rooms trying to get the abortion that I needed to save my future fertility and life,” Thurman said. “This should have been an open and shut case. Yet, I was left completely in the dark without any information or options for the care I deserved.”
The complaints, announced on Monday, call on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate Ascension Seton Williamson and Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital in Arlington, Texas.
The women argue that these hospitals violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, a federal law that requires hospitals to provide stabilizing care to patients with emergency medical conditions.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortions, 14 states, including Texas, have enacted strict abortion bans.
Although these bans include exceptions for cases where a pregnancy endangers the mother’s life, the complex wording of the laws and severe punishments for performing abortions have created confusion and fear among doctors.
Beth Brinkmann, senior director of U.S. litigation at the Center for Reproductive Rights, commented on the situation, saying, “How many more people will nearly die before we see change? It’s impossible to have the best interest of your patient in mind when you’re staring down a life sentence. Texas officials have put doctors in an impossible situation.”
Thurman’s ordeal began when she experienced cramps, dizziness, and heavy bleeding. Her OB-GYN suspected an ectopic pregnancy and recommended methotrexate, a medication used to terminate such pregnancies. However, the medication was not available at her doctor’s office, and the emergency room she visited also did not have it.
Thurman was advised to go to Ascension Seton Williamson in Round Rock, Texas, where doctors confirmed signs of an ectopic pregnancy but did not provide immediate treatment. Thurman’s OB-GYN had to intervene to persuade the hospital staff to administer methotrexate, but it was too late.
The ectopic pregnancy had already ruptured, leading to heavy bleeding and severe pain. Doctors had to remove her right fallopian tube to save her life, significantly reducing her chances of future pregnancies.
In a similar case, Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz, a college student, faced difficulties at a hospital in Arlington, Texas. After initially being told she might have miscarried or had an ectopic pregnancy, Norris-De La Cruz experienced intense pain. Medical City Healthcare Center and Texas Health Arlington both found signs of an ectopic pregnancy but delayed her treatment.
Two on-call OB-GYNs refused to provide the necessary care and instructed her to return later. Norris-De La Cruz and her mother sought help from an abortion clinic in New Mexico and eventually found an OB-GYN who performed emergency surgery. The surgery revealed that Norris-De La Cruz’s right fallopian tube and most of her right ovary had to be removed due to the advanced state of the ectopic pregnancy.
Norris-De La Cruz expressed her frustration, stating, “The doctors knew I needed an abortion, but these bans are making it nearly impossible to get basic emergency health care. So, I’m filing this complaint because women like me deserve justice and accountability from those who hurt us. Texas state officials can’t keep ignoring us. We can’t let them.”
The Center for Reproductive Rights filed the complaints on behalf of the women. This advocacy group has previously challenged Texas’s abortion laws, arguing that vague emergency exceptions have led to delays and denials of necessary care.
The Biden administration’s guidance on emergency abortions under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) has been blocked in Texas since 2022. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured an injunction against the federal rule, arguing it would force hospitals to perform abortions contrary to state law. The federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this injunction earlier this year.
The impact of this injunction on the current complaints is unclear, but attorney Molly Duane argues that EMTALA still mandates hospitals to provide emergency abortions when legal in Texas, including for ectopic pregnancies. Texas’s near-total abortion ban permits procedures only in cases where the mother’s life is at risk, and violations can result in severe criminal penalties, including life imprisonment.
State Sen. Bryan Hughes, who authored Texas’s 2021 abortion ban, emphasized that treating ectopic pregnancies is not prohibited by Texas law. “Clearly, these moms’ lives were in danger, so they are covered under the exceptions as well,” Hughes stated. However, Methotrexate, commonly used to treat ectopic pregnancies, is regulated under Senate Bill 4, which restricts access to abortion-inducing drugs.
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The groups that advocated for the abortion bans argue that medical exceptions ensure the safety of women while protecting fetal life. Despite these claims, reports show that medical-necessity abortions have occurred monthly in Texas since Roe v. Wade was overturned, reflecting ongoing challenges and controversies surrounding abortion access in the state.