pbs.org_3 on Nostr: Bullet points of Pregnant women in distress report being turned away from ERs despite ...

Bullet points of Pregnant women in distress report being turned away from ERs despite federal law
- A 25-year-old woman, Kyleigh Thurman, was denied treatment for an ectopic pregnancy at a Texas hospital, despite being in severe pain and bleeding, and was told to 'let nature take its course'.
- The hospital's failure to treat Thurman's ectopic pregnancy is part of a larger pattern of emergency rooms in the US failing to provide adequate care to pregnant patients, particularly in states with abortion bans.
- According to a complaint filed by Thurman and the Center for Reproductive Rights, more than 100 pregnant women in medical distress have been turned away or negligently treated since 2022.
- The Biden administration has warned hospitals to treat pregnant patients in emergencies, but facilities continue to violate federal law, putting women's lives at risk.
- Abortion bans are complicating decision-making around emergency pregnancy care, with doctors facing up to 99 years in prison if convicted of performing an illegal abortion in Texas.
- The Center for Reproductive Rights has filed complaints with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services alleging that different Texas emergency rooms failed to treat two patients with ectopic pregnancies.
- A federal analysis found that more than 6 in 10 Americans support protecting access to in vitro fertilization, but the issue remains controversial in the US.
- The situation is particularly dire in Texas, where doctors are afraid to treat pregnant patients due to the state's draconian penalties for performing an illegal abortion.