Pregnant women, some bleeding or in labor turned away from US ERs despite federal law

[IwantToRetire]

Even as the Biden administration publicly warned hospitals to treat pregnant patients in emergencies, facilities continue to violate the federal law. The issue became a focus for the administration following reports of women being improperly treated in emergency rooms after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion more than two years ago.

More than 100 pregnant women in medical distress who sought help from emergency rooms were turned away or negligently treated since 2022, an Associated Press analysis of federal hospital investigations has found.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ap-hospitals-texas-florida-washington-b2595160.html

Please note some may find parts of this article distressing to read.

Awful! No wonder they have such a high maternal mortality rate, even higher than some third world countries and the highest of all developed nations.

Its more about the anti abortion laws that Trump enabled:

The White House says hospitals must offer abortions when needed to save a woman's health, despite state bans. Texas is challenging that guidance and, earlier this summer, the Supreme Court declined to resolve the issue.

Abortion bans complicate risky pregnancy care.

(from article in OP)

The United States remains one of the most dangerous wealthy nations for a woman to give birth.

Maternal mortality rose by 40% at the height of the pandemic, according to new data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2021, 33 women died out of every 100,000 live births in the US, up from 23.8 in 2020.

That rate was more than double for black women, who were nearly three times more likely to die than white women, according to the CDC.

Compared to other countries, the maternal mortality rate was twice as high in the US than in the UK, Germany and France; and three times higher than in Spain, Italy, Japan and several other countries, according to the most recent global comparison data kept by the World Bank.

And, it has consistently increased in the US since at least 2000. Yet the average maternal mortality rate among the 37 other countries accounted for in the data has declined over the same time period.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-64981965

That was the point.

No wonder maternal outcomes are so poor in the US. One thing that emerges from the article is that doctors do not understand the Texas law around ectopic pregnancies and so leave women in danger unnecessarily. Both legislators and doctors are in error and do not seem to understand anything about biology.

As long as medical staff are nervous about losing their licence, being sued or imprisoned, this will continue to be a problem.

As I posted above, so far and hopefully never, a woman has not died from not being treated.

This is about, as PP posted up thread, the fear that the anti abortion laws have created. ie is a new, additional threat to women.

The US mortality rate during pregnancy and childbirth pre-existed this and is far more to do with having enough medical insurance to cover any number of eventualities, as well as ingrained racism and lack of awarenes in support African American women to give birth safely who have the highest rate.

Good point. Though there are very likely other factors than racism in the higher mortality rate for black Americans, as in the UK. Race is a factor, but not so much (UK anyway) because of racism, but because of culture and inherited diseases which are not always well-understood. Also a factor in the UK is close cousin marriages for generation upon generation among some communities and the prevalence of FGM. Both of these contribute to higher maternal mortality and neo-natal death among UK black women - and to some extent those of Asian descent.

I had a threatened miscarriage in the US and was charged about $6000 for a visit to the ER. I can absolutely understand why people may delay seeking medical attention at those prices.

I did have insurance but it didn’t cover that. I’m very grateful to live in a country with accessible and affordable healthcare now. I’m not in the UK and it is a darn sight better than the NHS and US systems. It doesn’t have to be an either/or choice.

I can’t find the stats at the moment but Aboriginal maternal healthcare outcomes are considered poor compared to other groups in Australia. However, they are still superior to the statistics from the UK and the US.

My guess (as an Irish person born in the seventies) is that the doctors do understand the law, and know that activists will out there trying to trap them. And that there will be people who will weaponise their pregnancies, their miscarriages and anything to try to jail doctors.

Had not thought of that point. A bit like ordering a gay cake from a Christian baker - intent is to cause trouble.

Sure, if they let that trump their humanity

Its more about the anti abortion laws that Trump enabled...

The Democrats "enabled" this by somehow neglecting to codify Roe for 50+ fucking years. This is entirely on them.

I completely agree. I once said this on a left leaning USA based board and it went down like a bucket of vomit. I told them it was their own fault for not looking at what was actually happening, and it happened on their watch.