But the lack of clarity accompanying the threat of jail time and six-figure fines for medical professionals has led some hospitals and doctors in the state to deny or delay care for pregnancy complications, according to multiple reports. In the meantime, Grossman said the delay and denial of care will likely become more common. I would consider what I experienced that weekend a medical emergency.. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Were going to take care of you, and youre going to be OK, Hall remembers. Lauren Hall, 27, fought the urge to scream back and tell them just how badly she wished life was a choice she could have made. A doctor she had never met entered the room. Delays in care particularly for first-trimester conditions such as bleeding, hemorrhaging, septic miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies can become lethal, said Dr. Natalie Crawford, an OB/GYN and cofounder of a fertility clinic. Although distraught and heartbroken at this news, Elizabeth forced herself to think it through. The emotional toll was what worried Hall most of all. Texas new measure was intended to impose stringent limits on abortion. Even before the passage of the two bills, existing Texas law stated that the act is not an abortion if it involves the treatment of an ectopic pregnancy which most commonly occurs when the pregnancy grows in the fallopian tube or to "remove a dead, unborn child whose death was caused by spontaneous abortion," he said, pointing to the statute. "Not because I wanted my baby to die, but because I needed this hell to end. Texas abortion laws penalize the person who performs an abortion and, under a state law from 1925, anyone who furnishes the means for an abortion. But it is also affecting women who have no desire for termination but are experiencing medically risky pregnancies. Under Texas' Senate Bill 8, abortions are banned after six weeks of pregnancy, and the only exception is if a doctor determines a patient will face a "medical emergency" if the procedure isn't . Methotrexate, another abortion-inducing medication, is used to treat ectopic pregnancies as well as rheumatic illnesses, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and cancer. About 10% to 20% of confirmed pregnancies end in miscarriages, but estimates are as high as 30% to 50% for all pregnancies, including those in which a person may not know of the pregnancy. Dr. Palmer, the obstetrician in Fort Worth, said that one of her patients was trying to get pregnant after the new law went into effect, and she had consensual sex with her partner. I had not been put in the crossroads of this issue.". A few weeks after Texas adopted the most restrictive abortion law in the nation, Dr. Andrea Palmer delivered terrible news to a Fort Worth patient who was midway through her pregnancy. "I just cried and screamed in the parking lot," she recalls. "Ectopic pregnancies can kill people," said Brown, a district chair for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, representing Texas. But for patients facing a medical emergency, or low-income or uninsured Texans, seeking a second opinion may not be possible. Under Texas law, doctors can be sued by almost anyone for performing an abortion. When Roe v. Wade fell in June, Elizabeth's pain and anger surged up again. She was due just a few days before Christmas. "Being pregnant in a state like Texas is a dangerous . "This poor woman had no idea what she was telling me. After one conversation, the doctor returned to her bedside. You're not going to tell me that what I'm experiencing isn't real, again.". The new abortion bans or the old laws being resurrected in a post-Roe world are rigidly written and untested in the courts. Texas' abortion restrictions a ban that prohibits most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, as well as a law passed last year that will ban nearly all abortions, plus older statutes . Cheng, in San Antonio, said that even as she cautiously points her patients to their options out-of-state, shes well aware that many of them struggle to even make it to their appointments in-state. It just seems cruel and unusual.. Ectopic pregnancy develops in an estimated 2% of reported pregnancies. Immediately, they sensed hesitation from the doctor. On Friday, when she woke up, she was still passing blood and discharge, still feeling sick, and feeling strange things in her uterus. And I screamed because that's when I knew something wrong was happening. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg is implanted outside the uterus, most commonly in a fallopian tube. She wished she could make them answer for the states near-total ban on abortions after the overturning of Roe v. Wade just a few weeks prior. That is a pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus. Carrying the pregnancy to term would be emotionally grueling and would also raise the mothers risk of blood clots and severe postpartum bleeding, the doctor warned. DEFINITIONS. Elizabeth was induced late Friday night, and the labor became painful enough that she had to get an epidural. And now the Texas abortion law has created an additional bind, Cavazos explains. But she was barely out the door, still in the parking lot, when her phone rang. You cant even mention what someones choices would be, because of fear that talking about options would be considered aiding and abetting someone getting an abortion, he said. "I remember hearing her, from my room, speaking loudly about how nothing is being done here.". Amplify your impact and donate now. Most of these pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth. The New Texas Abortion Law Is Putting Some Patients In Danger, A Michigan law from 1931 would make abortion a felony if Roe falls. Find a complete list of them here. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times. Texas' "trigger" law, which outlaws abortion "wholly or partly", is set to be in effect 30 days following . The associations say these women should be given the option of termination if they become pregnant. Hall was 18 weeks along when she went in for hers on a Friday afternoon. hide caption. (1) the immediate abortion of her pregnancy without the delay necessary to determine the probable post-fertilization age of the unborn child; (2) the abortion of her pregnancy even though the post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 or more weeks; or (3) the use of a method of abortion other than a method described by Section 171.045(b). Her husband took over, asking the doctor what, if anything, they could do. But now were forcing someone to continue the pregnancy and go through all the risks of a potentially term delivery and all those potential complications for a pregnancy that has no chance of surviving. Texas' "trigger" law, which outlaws abortion "wholly or partly", is set to be in effect 30 days following the . What youre really worried about is that period of time when whats going to be a miscarriage, if you let it take a natural course, might cause severe suffering, and/or death to the mother, to the pregnant person, she said. How do they follow the latest guidelines when numerous other people from other medical professionals to friends and family members can question their intent: Are they helping care for a miscarriage or facilitating an abortion? The abortion clinic is less than a mile from Texas, where abortion is illegal. "I told her 'I'm so sorry. Those can be acute life-threatening emergencies, she said. Things did go fairly smooth at first. Because once they reached Methodist, while they were still checking in at the emergency room, her doctor called. She was diagnosed with an aggressive lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. In Texas, the second-largest state in the nation, legal abortion immediately ceased to be an option except to save the life of the pregnant patient. "And she starts to cry and she tells me: 'They're not going to touch you.' Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quickly sued the Biden administration over the federal guidance. There are currently no abortion laws that outlaw treatment of ectopic pregnancy. But studies show that pregnant teenagers are more prone than older women to developing a dangerous condition called pre-eclampsia, and they are more likely to have preterm deliveries, small babies and stillbirths. There is no treatment to stop a miscarriage once it has started, and miscarriages can become life-threatening to the pregnant patient if complications are untreated. Updated: Oct. 24, 2022. Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 171. But Prager believes that the laws in Texas and perhaps elsewhere soon could boost physicians' vulnerability to medical malpractice lawsuits. Since the Texas laws include a stipulation that there must be intent to induce an abortion, Mayo said that he'd advise physicians and other clinicians to closely document the rationale for medical care, whether it's to treat a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy. About 10% to 20% of confirmed . After holding it together all morning, Hall burst into tears. A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the name and location of a clinic. Lauren Hall stands for a portrait on Sept. 10, 2022, in the room that she and her husband had prepared as a nursery. 7:49 PM on Jul 14, 2022 CDT. And she says 'Yes. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 1, eff. Dr. John Thoppil, president of the Texas Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said doctors usually note a diagnosis when prescribing medicines, and prescription rejections dont appear to be widespread. Correction, Oct. 24, 2022 at 4:12 p.m.: So I'm here to call you to register for your delivery on October 5th, so I can collect all your insurance information. It doesnt take a huge leap to see that our rates of complications will go up because we have a selection bias on who is going to have to continue more complicated pregnancies.. "It's this woman who was saying 'Hi Miss Weller, you're at the 19 week mark. But the patient was past six weeks gestation, and under the new law, an abortion was not an option in Texas because the woman was not immediately facing a life-threatening medical crisis or risk of permanent disability. Elizabeth and James Weller at their home in Houston two months after losing their baby girl due to a premature rupture of membranes. hide caption. These provisions are in Chapter 170A of the Texas Health & Safety Code, which was enacted by House Bill 1280 in 2021. A doctor sat down and told her: "There's very little amniotic fluid left. a letter from the Texas Medical Association. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Hall and her husband would like to try again at some point. "At first I was really enraged at the hospital and administration," she says. And I knew my baby was suffering, I knew I was suffering, I knew my husband was suffering.". They now had some of the symptoms they needed to show the infection was getting worse. Anyone who aids and abets the procedure can also be sued, and the law promises plaintiffs $10,000 and legal fees if they win the lawsuit. On Saturday, May 14, about 2 a.m., she gave birth. Elizabeth chose to go home rather than wait to get sick at the hospital. It is life-threatening to the mother and is not viable and needs to be removed. I looked at her little hands and I just cried. Her water had broken midway through the pregnancy, but her doctors, fearing prosecution if they violated the abortion ban, did not begin treating her until the fetuss heart stopped on its own. And theyve had to navigate complicated politics when sharing their news. Most recently, the Oklahoma Senate passed six abortion-limiting bills , including one that would ban abortions after 30 days from a woman's last . "The pharmacy has said, 'We don't know whether or not you might be using this medication for the purposes of abortion,'" she said. We havent seen a large issue, but there are certainly anecdotes, Thoppil said. Disclosure: Southern Methodist University, Texas Medical Association and New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. "We skipped over the genetic testing offered in the first trimester," Elizabeth says. From Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 22-24, in downtown Austin, TribFest attendees will enjoy three days full of mind-expanding events, conversations and panels featuring more than 350 big names including Chris Bosh, Pete Buttigieg, Liz Cheney, Annette Gordon-Reed and many others. The risks to Elizabeth's health were simply too high. Under another new Texas abortion law, someone who "aids or abets" an abortion after cardiac activity can be detected typically around six weeks can be subject to at least a $10,000 fine per occurrence. Methotrexate also is listed in the Texas law passed last year. We see patients from many different religions and cultures, and how they grieve is unique to each patient, Sanchez said. Thats what recently caused Dr. Jessian Munoz, an OB-GYN in San Antonio, to wait a day to treat a patient who had started to miscarry and developed a womb infection, according to the Associated Press. And surprisingly, both of their families sent money to help pay for the trip, despite their anti-abortion sentiments. The Oklahoma Senate last week passed six abortion-limiting bills, including one that mirrors the law passed in Texas and another that would ban abortions after 30 days from a woman's last period . Another patient in Dallas was denied a surgical procedure for a miscarriage, according to The New York Times, and a Texas woman told CNN she had to carry her dead fetus for two weeks until she could find an OB-GYN willing to remove it. The laws supporters say that it provides sufficient leeway for physicians to act if a mothers life or bodily functions are compromised, and they insist those cases are rare. Doctors and experts also worry that patients with pregnancy complications may be too afraid of being accused of inducing an abortion to seek care. An oncologist urged the woman to start treatment immediately, but the chemotherapy regimen would have been toxic to the fetus. If an ectopic pregnancy has ruptured, the pregnant person needs care immediately because they could start bleeding and lose up to 2 liters up blood very quickly. She had cramps, and was passing clots of blood. Abortion bans in Mississippi, North Dakota and Wyoming go into effect after the attorney . "I was born with a physical disability. Later in pregnancy, doctors can try to delay delivery to give the fetus more time to develop, while also warding off infection or other maternal complications such as hemorrhage. 'M so sorry those can be acute life-threatening emergencies, she said experiencing medically risky pregnancies,. Likely become more common door, still in the parking lot, '' recalls... 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