Another area of Texas law that Seago cited provides an exception to the state's abortion restrictions if the mother's life is in danger or she's at "serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function" unless an abortion is performed. The hospital where she works pays me to have these conversations with patients, but theres not necessarily any guarantee they would have my back should someone decide to list my name on a lawsuit, she said. Elizabeth and James keep remembrances of their baby in a picture frame at home. Even if the mothers life is saved, Dr. Moayedi added, she could require an emergency hysterectomy, or removal of the uterus, which would leave her infertile. But she did not know who the biological father was. The risks to Elizabeth's health were simply too high. Missouri legislators held a hearing on a bill that, if signed into law, would make it a felony to "perform or induce an abortion" to treat ectopic pregnancy. not include an abortion that uses suction to dismember the body of an unborn child by sucking pieces of the unborn child into a . "Abortions are sometimes needed out of an act of an emergency, out of an act of saving a woman's life. "It wasn't that the Methodist Hospital was refusing to perform a service to me simply because they didn't want to, it was because Texas law put them in a position to where they were intimidated to not perform this procedure.". Many offer no exemptions for rape, incest or fetal anomolies. They also had an anatomy scan, which revealed no problems. It was just a matter of time before the baby died, or maybe Id have to go through the trauma of carrying to term knowing I wasnt bringing a baby home, she said. Texas' current heartbeat ban enables private citizens to sue anyone who helps someone get an abortion after about six weeks. Your donation keeps our trusted reporting free and accessible for all Texans and during a legislative session when lawmakers are set to tackle issues from school choice for K-12 students to school safety improvements to changes in property taxes, its critical that Texans know what lawmakers decisions mean for their futures. ", "Let's say I do have to go through this situation again. Such testing is done late in pregnancy, beyond the six-week limit, noted Crescenda Uhles, a genetic counselor in Dallas. "We skipped over the genetic testing offered in the first trimester," Elizabeth says. Today, abortion is also illegal in Texas under an old 1925 law that the state's Attorney General Ken Paxton declared to be in effect after Roe was overturned. On Saturday, May 14, about 2 a.m., she gave birth. An ectopic pregnancy is 100% fatal if . Doctors and experts also worry that patients with pregnancy complications may be too afraid of being accused of inducing an abortion to seek care. "Most women would find it extremely difficult and emotionally very challenging. Many Texans facing this same set of circumstances wont have the means to leave the state, Thoppil said, contributing to the states high rates of maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly among communities of color. For the women, expectant management after premature rupture of membranes comes with its own health risks. ", Elizabeth thought of abortion rights in broad terms: "I have said throughout my life I believe that women should have the access to the right to an abortion. A recent study also reported 28 women with dangerous pregnancies at two Texas hospitals faced delays for care because fetal cardiac activity was detected, according to the AP. The way the system is going to work is that the patients are going to always pay the price, Grossman said. They had bought a house in Kingwood, a lakeside development in Houston. Which sounds extreme, but Roe had just been overturned. "'I'm just using this because this is not a viable pregnancy.'". There have been no criminal charges against providers since the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in late June to overturn the constitutional right to abortion access that was protected by Roe v. Wade, but anti-abortion groups and state lawmakers have threatened to ramp up the pressure against abortion providers and their allies. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg is implanted outside the uterus, most commonly in a fallopian tube. Miscarriages occur in roughly 1 out of 10 pregnancies. In addition, he said, other Texas laws and the Roe v. Wade decision provide an exception to permit abortion if a pregnant person's life is in danger. And she says 'Yes. As Friday dragged on, Elizabeth started wondering if maybe the heartbeat had stopped. Midnight came and went in a blur. The maternal fetal medicine specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas published a blog post last August to inform patients that treatment for cesarean scar ectopic pregnancies are legal under Texas's abortion law. A fight began, which Elizabeth first became aware of as her doctor paced the hall outside her room, talking on her phone. In Texas it's literally written in the law that an act is not an abortion to remove an ectopic pregnancy. 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 . Hall shelled out thousands of dollars to abruptly travel out of state while grieving a lost pregnancy. The protesters outside a Seattle-area abortion clinic waved pictures of bloody fetuses, shouting that she was a baby killer and begging her to choose life. Crescenda Uhles, a genetic counselor in Dallas, said the Texas law puts people like her in a bind when advising patients. It just seems cruel and unusual.. Idaho, Tennessee and Texas will implement abortion bans in 30 days, according to the text of the laws. ), hhs may not enforce the following interpretations contained in the july 11, 2022, cms guidance (and the corresponding letter sent the same day by hhs secretary becerra): (1) hhs may not enforce the guidance and letter's interpretation that texas abortion laws are preempted by emtala; and (2) hhs may . Some hesitate to counsel patients about the option of termination, or refer them to doctors in other states, for fear their advice could be interpreted as aiding an 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. To Elizabeth, termination also felt like the most merciful option for her fetus. Elizabeth Weller never dreamed that her own hopes for a child would become ensnared in the web of Texas abortion law. A clinical battle begins behind the scenes. The only way to stop the heavy bleeding is to end the pregnancy and contract the uterus, Dr. Moayedi said. Methotrexate or surgery are the only two options listed in the medical guidelines to prevent the fallopian tubes from rupturing and causing dangerous bleeding. After all, she didnt need an abortion she needed convenient pregnancy care. The holidays are going to be especially hard. forbids dispensing and shipping abortion-inducing medications, rheumatic illnesses, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and cancer. Elizabeth says. Thats why Crawford said its important for patients to quickly seek medical care if they notice their pregnancy isnt progressing normally or they are bleeding. For some, that's too difficult, given the emotions surrounding the pregnancy loss, she said. You're trying to understand exactly what's going on. Many doctors say they are unable to discuss the procedure as an option until the patients condition deteriorates and her life is at risk. Back at home, the Wellers got more serious about their travel plans and started booking tickets. Some supporters of the law say that it does not forbid a doctor to counsel a woman about abortion or refer her to an abortion provider outside Texas. In cases in which a medical provider may be hesitant to conduct a needed treatment, itll be critical for patients to stay informed, seek help or get more than one medical opinion, said Joanna Grossman, a professor at Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law. The crisis the Wellers endured is emblematic of the vast and perhaps unintended medical impacts of the criminalization of abortion in Republican-led states. Enough to make her retch. We usually have our moms register for delivery at this point. It is not currently possible in any way to 'reimplant' an ectopic pregnancy. Walmart officials did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Among other risks, both the fetus and Elizabeth were now highly vulnerable to a uterine infection called chorioamnionitis. After Hall made it through the protesters and the clinics security screening, the clinic itself was an oasis, she said. Tom Mayo, a professor of law at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law in Dallas, understands why some in Texas' pharmacy community might be nervous. Under Texas law, doctors can be sued by almost anyone for performing an abortion. Pregnant people are now required to just wait, endangering their own lives with no hope of ever bringing home a baby. But pregnancy care isnt as clear cut as the law makes it out to be, doctors say, and fear of criminal prosecution has led medical professionals to delay or deny care they otherwise would have provided. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has information on early pregnancy loss, finding an OB-GYN and having better conversations with your doctor. (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). Texas never repealed its original law prohibiting abortion except when the life of the mother was in danger after Roe. And they're telling me to think of the positives. More than ever, I think people, patients really need to be extremely well-informed and really aggressive about advocating for their own health because the system right now is basically designed to fail, she said. They have jobs and multiple children to take care of and they dont have the finances to take four or five days to go to a different state. Last week, the Texas Medical Association warned that several hospitals in the state have turned away or waited to treat patients with pregnancy complications including a physician in Central Texas who was allegedly instructed by a hospital to not treat an ectopic pregnancy until a rupture occurred. Grumet: Fears over Texas' abortion laws interfere with urgent, life-saving care. State House Bill 2709, filed Thursday, would penalize individuals for the use of medication to cause abortion in the state of Texas, whether the pills were acquired at a local pharmacy or . They now had some of the symptoms they needed to show the infection was getting worse. The maternal fetal medicine specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas published a blog post last August to inform patients that treatment for cesarean-scar ectopic pregnancies is legal under Texas's abortion law. "And yet we're being pulled through this.". 245.001. That's not a good thing. Patients experiencing miscarriage have also struggled to get prescriptions filled for misoprostol, which is used both to treat miscarriages and induce abortions. Double your gift when you give by 6 p.m. Thursday. Join us for Texas biggest politics and policy event when you buy your tickets today. Unnamed, unknown doctors somewhere had come to an agreement that Elizabeth could be induced that night. "And that may mean in certain circumstances protecting the mother in this situation and the child passing away.". The New Texas Abortion Law Is Putting Some Patients In Danger, A Michigan law from 1931 would make abortion a felony if Roe falls. Disclosure: Texas Medical Association and University of Texas at Austin 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. Elizabeth and James look at clothes that were meant for their baby, whom they lost in the second trimester of pregnancy. The fetus had a rare neural tube defect. I personally would never get one. All of Texas abortion laws have exceptions to treat miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, a potentially life-threatening condition in which a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, as well as to save the life of the pregnant patient. Even with the slim chance of survival to 24 weeks, the newborn would face intense physical challenges and aggressive medical interventions. Immediately, they sensed hesitation from the doctor. 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. After she got through the first trimester, Hall and her husband both heaved a sigh of relief and got to work telling their friends and family. 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