Texas women refused abortions for life-threatening ectopic pregnancies demand probe into hospitals

Two women are demanding that the federal government investigate two Texas hospitals after they were refused abortions despite “life-threatening” pregnancies, which potentially damaged their fertility.

Kyleigh Thurman, from Burnet County, and Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz, from Dallas, both experienced tubal ectopic pregnancies, meaning a fertilized egg implanted in a fallopian tube instead of the uterus. Ectopic pregnancy is never viable and can result in a ruptured fallopian tube which can kill the mother. Termination is necessary with an ecotopic pregnancy.

But Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital in Round Rock refused to treat Thurman, ultimately leading her to lose a fallopian tube.

Thurman didn’t know she was pregnant when she began experiencing intermittent cramping, dizziness and bleeding continuously for nearly a month in early 2023, according to the administrative complaint.

Her OBGYN believed that she was having an ectopic pregnancy. But because the medical office was fully booked that day, the doctor advised her to go to the emergency room, and get an injection of methotrexate to terminate the pregnancy, her first.

Thurman went to the ER in her hometown twice in two days and was discharged both times. In the meantime, her OBGYN confirmed that her pregnancy was ectopic, through a review of Thurman’s blood tests, and told her to go to a larger hospital where methotrexate would likely be available.

Thurman drove an hour to Ascension Seton Williamson, and on February 21, her OBGYN called the on-call physician, advising that the patient “needed methotrexate immediately” for an ectopic pregnancy. But hospital staff denied her treatment, the filing states.

Her vaginal bleeding continued for a few more days. Thurman