A 19-year-old American woman died in Texas (United States) in October 2023 after three visits to several emergency departments. Six months pregnant, she would have suffered the consequences of the cancellation of the right to abortion in the United States pronounced in 2022. Her mother denounced the death of her daughter in an interview with ProPublica on Friday. A testimony spotted by CNN.
On October 29, 2023, the girl woke up with a headache, followed by nausea and fever. She was taken to the emergency room that afternoon, where she was diagnosed with strep throat without doctors taking her acute abdominal cramps into consideration.
Late support
A few hours later, she went to another hospital. This time, she was told she had sepsis. The nursing staff considered that the fetal heart was still beating and therefore invited the patient to return home.
In the third hospital, an obstetrician wanted to perform two ultrasounds in order to “confirm the death of the fetus” before agreeing to transfer the young woman to intensive care. It took two hours for her to be treated for her symptoms. She died shortly after.
Why so much fear?
Because of the rollback of abortion rights, doctors are reluctant to provide care to pregnant women, lawyers and doctors told ProPublica. In the event of the death of the fetus, they fear legal action. Indeed, in Texas, the ban on abortion can land people responsible for interventions that interrupt the heartbeat of the fetus, whether the pregnancy is wanted or not, in prison.
There are exceptions to the ban on abortion when the mother's life is in danger. But potential lawsuits are skewing how doctors treat pregnant patients. In states that have banned abortion, they prefer to transfer women from one hospital to another so as not to treat them and not take the risk of being convicted.
Cascading errors
A group of journalists and doctors indicated that the first emergency department where the young patient went had not detected the warning signs of infection which deserved to be taken into account. The second department should never have sent the 19-year-old home due to sepsis. Finally, the third department should not have insisted on performing the two ultrasounds.
The young woman could have been saved, just like her fetus. If she had to give birth prematurely, the hospital was well equipped to take the baby. If the infection had become more serious, an abortion could have been essential to save the mother.
