A woman who says she was denied an emergency abortion while miscarrying sued Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, California, this week.
Last year, Anna Nusslock arrived at St. Joseph bleeding and in severe pain after her water broke 15 weeks into her pregnancy. Doctors diagnosed her with preterm premature rupture of membranes and told her the twins she was carrying would not survive, according to the complaint.
Nusslock said doctors refused to perform an abortion, even though her life was in danger. The Catholic-affiliated hospital has a policy of not performing abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected.
The lawsuit says St. Joseph staff gave her a bucket and towels for the bleeding and directed her to Mad River Community Hospital. There, Nusslock began hemorrhaging.
K.M. Bell, an attorney with the National Women’s Law Center, which is representing Nusslock, said the ordeal was traumatic.
“She was terrified, in fear for her life, that she was going to bleed to death,” Bell said, claiming Nusslock has since been diagnosed with PTSD.
The complaint seeks monetary damages from St. Joseph and its parent entities and asks the hospital network to change its policies to prevent similar situations.
According to the lawsuit, not terminating Nusslock’s pregnancy when her life was at risk violated California’s Emergency Services Law. Attorneys also claim the hospital broke the state’s Unruh Civil Rights Act by discriminating in care against a pregnant person.
“We believe that hospitals should not be allowed to pick and choose which emergencies they treat based on ideology,” Bell said.
In October, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued St. Joseph, arguing the hospital violated state law. While the hospital initially agreed to provide abortions when a patient’s life is at risk, it has since moved to dismiss the case on First Amendment grounds.
In a statement, St. Joseph said staff provide life-saving medical interventions that may result in indirect fetal death.
“As a Catholic health care organization, we are transparent that we do not perform elective abortions,” according to the statement.
