Woman nearly dies after hospital delays ectopic pregnancy treatment amid abortion law fears
This Texas woman almost died after a hospital sent her home with an untreated ectopic pregnancy. In February 2023, Kyleigh Thurman went to Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital suffering from a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy. Instead of emergency treatment, the hospital gave her a miscarriage pamphlet and discharged her.
When she returned with heavy bleeding, they denied her care again. It wasn't until her third visit, after her OB-GYN pleaded with hospital staff, that she finally received treatment. By then, her fallopian tube had ruptured. "Oh my God, I'm dying," Thurman realized as doctors explained she needed emergency surgery. A federal investigation has now confirmed the hospital violated the law by failing to provide proper emergency care. This case highlights a disturbing trend in Texas, where doctors fear providing pregnancy-related emergency care due to strict abortion bans, even when treatment is legally allowed. "I didn't want anyone else to have to go through this," Thurman said.