Texas woman dies after receiving inadequate treatment for a miscarriage

A Texas woman has died after receiving inadequate medical treatment for a miscarriage, according to a new report from ProPublica – the fifth pregnant woman the publication has found to have died since the fall of Roe v Wade after receiving inadequate care or being denied a legal abortion.

Porsha Ngumezi, a 35-year-old mother of two, died in June 2023 after experiencing a miscarriage in Texas, where nearly all abortions are banned, ProPublica reported on Monday. Ten weeks into her pregnancy, Ngumezi started to bleed and went to Houston Methodist Sugar Land, which is part of the Houston Methodist hospital chain and located in the Houston metropolitan area. While at the hospital, Ngumezi continued to bleed for several hours. She underwent multiple blood transfusions.

Doctors who reviewed Ngumezi’s case told ProPublica that she should have been offered a dilation and curettage, or D&C, a common procedure that can be used for miscarriages and abortions to clear tissue from the uterus. However, some doctors in states with abortion bans have become hesitant to offer D&Cs, doctors said, because they are afraid of being punished for violating abortion bans – even in situations where women’s pregnancies have ended, as in Ngumezi’s case.

Rather than being offered a D&C, a doctor gave Ngumezi misoprostol, ProPublica reported. Although misoprostol is frequently used in miscarriages and abortions, it can be dangerous to give to women who are – like Ngumezi – bleeding heavily.

However, in states with abortion bans, doctors may feel more comfortable giving patients misoprostol than giving them D&Cs, because D&Cs can attract too much attention.

“You have to convince everyone that it is legal and won’t put them at risk,” Dr Alison Goulding, a Houston OB-GYN, told ProPublica of D&Cs. “Many people may be afraid and misinformed and refuse to participate – even if it’s for a miscarriage.”

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Source: The Guardian, 25 November 2024