A 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 reports has 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 a miscarriage in Texas, where nearly all abortions are banned, ProPublica reported Monday. Ten weeks into her pregnancy, Ngumezi began bleeding and went to Houston Methodist Sugar Land, which is part of the Houston Methodist hospital chain and located in the Houston metropolitan area. While in 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 in miscarriages and abortions to remove tissue from the uterus. However, some doctors in states with abortion bans have become reluctant to offer D&Cs, doctors say, because they fear being punished for violating the abortion ban — even in situations where women’s pregnancies have been terminated, as in the case of Ngumezi.
Instead of being offered a D&C, a doctor gave Ngumezi misoprostol, ProPublica reported. Although misoprostol is often used for miscarriages and abortions, it can be dangerous to give it to women who – like Ngumezi – bleed heavily.
However, in states with abortion bans, doctors may feel more comfortable giving patients misoprostol than giving D&Cs because D&Cs can draw too much attention.
“You have to convince everyone that it’s legal and won’t endanger them,” Dr. Alison Goulding, a Houston gynecologist, told ProPublica of D&Cs. “Many people may be afraid and uninformed and refuse to participate – even if it is because of a miscarriage.”
Ngumezi began complaining of chest pain, but the doctor who treated Ngumezi did not order additional tests, according to ProPublica. Within hours of her arrival at the hospital, Ngumezi began fighting to breathe.
Her husband was in hospital when Ngumezi died.
Doctors and nurses involved in Ngumezi’s care did not respond to ProPublica’s requests for comment. Houston Methodist also did not answer questions from the outlet.
“All Houston Methodist hospitals follow all state laws, including Texas abortion law,” a hospital spokesperson told ProPublica.
ProPublica previously reported four other deaths among women whose medical care was delayed after a miscarriage or who were unable to obtain a legal abortion. Two of the women, Josseli Barnica and Nevaeh Crain, also lived in Texas. Two others, Amber Nicole Thurman And Candi Molenaarlived in Georgia, where abortion is prohibited after six weeks of pregnancy.
In reporting on the deaths of Thurman and Miller, ProPublica obtained reports from a state commission in Georgia that reviews deaths of pregnant women and makes recommendations on how to improve maternal mortality in the state. Georgia subsequently fired all 32 members of that commission. ProPublica reports this last week.