A pregnant woman was treated by Dr. Grace Ferguson after the decision was made. The baby wouldn't survive, and the patient's chance of developing a potentially life threatening infection grew with every hour.
The woman was unable to have an abortion because of a state ban when she went to see Ferguson. The patient's life wasn't in danger when the law made an exception for medical emergencies.
Ferguson said that she was waiting for an emergency to happen or for the baby to die.
Ferguson was able to give birth to a baby at the hospital in Pennsylvania.
A growing number of physicians and families tell similar stories of pregnant women with dangerous medical conditions being turned away from hospitals and doctors' offices because they couldn't get an abortion. More patients have been suggested to go elsewhere by doctors in states with strict abortion laws. Women are facing dangerous delays.
Doctors say they have to balance medical judgement with the consequences. Even though the strictest laws allow abortion to save a mother's life, how close to death must the patient be?
Ferguson said that you don't necessarily go from living to dead. You start getting sicker and sicker.
It is not possible to say when that line is crossed, according to Dr. Alison Haddock, who is on the board of the American College of Emergency Physicians. It is not possible for me to stand in front of a critically ill patient before their health was in danger. Their lives are in danger now.
Data on abortion denials can be hard to come by. More than a dozen doctors and patients spoke to The Associated Press about how they were denied the chance to speak about their experiences with employers.
Many doctors and researchers agree that there is a problem. In Texas, for example, a doctors' association sent a letter to the state's medical board saying some hospitals refused to treat patients because of the state's abortion ban
At the University of California, San Francisco, researchers who invited health care workers nationwide to anonymously send examples of poor quality care caused by abortion restrictions were surprised by the initial amount of responses. In the first six weeks, twenty-five submissions were received. There were descriptions of patients who were sent home after their water broke during their pregnancies. One person told of an ectopic pregnancy that was allowed to grow on a scar left by a previous C-section, which can cause bleeding and death.
The project's leader said that the legislators are playing with fire.
One patient was denied an abortion in Idaho because they developed a serious heart condition midway through their pregnancies. The woman had to be flown to Utah.
Lauren Miller, a maternal-fetal specialist in Idaho, said she frequently sees patients whose water breaks at 15 through 19 weeks' pregnant, and all doctors can do is help them make the tough decision: "Do they stay here for their care and just wait until something bad happens, or
When people show up with serious problems, Missouri doctors and hospitals are often responsible for their care, according to Dr. David Eisenberg, an associate professor at Washington University. One of the few in Missouri that perform abortions in such cases is where he works.
He said he had to call the lawyer for the hospital before he could figure out what to do.
That is absolutely insane and completely inappropriate.
One in 1000 pregnant women are diagnosed with cancer every year.
The CEO of the American Cancer Society said that some oncologists are confused about treating pregnant cancer patients. Patients with life-threatening diagnoses are sometimes forced to drive 10 hours or fly out of state to get abortions so they can begin treatment, according to a doctor.
According to Tocce, a Texas woman with cancer came back aggressively after becoming pregnant with her second child. She wanted an abortion to continue the cancer treatment that was supposed to save her life. She thanked Tocce many times.
The patient was finally told to stop thanking them. Tocce said that they are doing their job. I told you that I was so upset that you had to travel so far with your family.
Doctors may be denying abortions out of fear, according to some abortion opponents. The author of the book "Unexpected Choice: An Abortion Doctor's Journey to Pro-life" said it comes down to intent. She said you are doing good medicine if you intend to save the mother and not the fetus.
There are a lot of questions coming up in a period of time. Some of the problems will be solved by the legislature.
Dr. LaRose is a member of the American Association of Pro- Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
He said they may be mistaken. Doctors who are pro-life would take care of the mother and not kill the baby.
Women say restrictive abortion laws endanger them.
A pregnant woman in Texas thought her life was in danger after she was diagnosed with a nonviable fetus. There were huge cysts around both of the women's ovaries. She was in pain and had vomited.
Texas banned almost all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, before the Supreme Court legalized them. She was in agony for three days in one hospital before her doctor was able to find another hospital that would agree to her being terminated. She wondered what she was supposed to do.
Farmers faced delays in August. She was sent to the emergency room after her water broke. She lost heramniotic fluid in the tests. She and her boyfriend named their fetus Maeve.
She couldn't get an abortion despite the risks. There was a heartbeat. Medical records show that doctors told her Missouri law was superior to their judgement.
She tried to get an abortion out of state, but many hospitals wouldn't accept her. Farmer was connected with a clinic in Granite City. She had the procedure while she was in labor.
The Missouri health department started an investigation after news outlets covered Farmer's story and she appeared in a political ad. The state shared its findings with the government.
The experience was so traumatic that Farmer took a permanent step to make sure it doesn't happen to her again.
Her tubes were tied up.
That's right.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute supports the AP Health and Science Department. The AP doesn't have any responsibility for the rest of the content.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
