Report States Rise In US Pregnant Woman Being Turned Away From ER

A pregnant woman in Texas lost her baby after the emergency room authorities of the hospital refused to attend her. She unfortunately misscarried the baby in the lobby restroom of the emergency room as the front desk staff refused to treat her. Reportedly similar incidents have been reported in the United States where pregnant women have been refused to be treated. A woman learned that her fetus had no heartbeat at a Florida hospital, the day after a security guard turned her away from the facility. And when an emergency room in North Carolina was unable to provide an ultrasound, a woman gave birth in her car. Later, the infant passed away.

The examples cast doubt on the availability of emergency pregnancy care in the United States, particularly in areas with strong abortion restrictions. They also raise questions about the range of treatments that physicians are qualified to offer.

Emergency departments are required by federal law to treat or stabilize patients who are in labour, and if they lack the staff or resources to treat them, to arrange for a medical transfer to another hospital. If medical facilities take Medicare financing, they have legal obligations to uphold. These incidents raise a fundamental question for the hospital authority if they should call the room an 'Emergency Room'.

Abortion Laws in the United States

Complaints that pregnant women were turned away from US emergency rooms spiked in 2022 after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, federal documents obtained by the Associated Press reveal

Two states, Georgia and South Carolina, have outlawed abortions beyond around six weeks of pregnancy, while fourteen states have implemented nearly complete restrictions on the procedure after Roe was reversed in 2022. Other states have passed legislation or conducted referendums to uphold the right to an abortion.

Pregnant patients have “become radioactive to emergency departments” in states with extreme abortion restrictions, said Sara Rosenbaum, a George Washington University health law and policy professor.

For instance, let’s take the case of a pregnant woman who was in her ninth month of pregnancy and experiencing contractions. She arrived at Falls Community Hospital on July 1, 2022, one week after the Roe v. Wade announcement by the Supreme Court. The hospital’s doctor on duty declined to see her, saying the hospital didn’t offer obstetrical services or facilities, according to hospital staff interviews with federal investigators. The nursing staff told the doctor that they could test the woman for fetal fluid, but the doctor advised the patient to drive to a nearby hospital in Waco.

Both President Joe Biden and Attorney General Kamala Harris (D-CA) have pledged to “be vigilant” in enforcing abortion laws.

The White House has defended Medicare funding for hospitals by asserting that hospitals must provide “stable” care, including abortion.

These ambiguities in the healthcare system of one of the most developed nations of all ends are serious questions to ponder, especially by those authorities who take pride in being the hegemon.