A Texas woman’s life was put at risk when doctors in the state refused to treat her ectopic pregnancy.
Kelsi Norris-De La Cruz, a 25-year-old college senior was pregnant with her first child when she learned that she likely had an ectopic pregnancy, meaning the embryo implanted outside the uterus.
Without an emergency surgery to terminate the pregnancy her fallopian tube could rupture and she could die.
But, doctors at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital refused to treat her, saying there was some chance the pregnancy was still viable, Norris-De La Cruz told the Washington Post.
Texas has a near-total ban on abortions and despite the law allowing exemptions to save the life of the mother, doctors in the state have been hesitant to perform the procedure that could land them in jail or result in six-figure fines.
Norris-De La Cruz was able to get emergency surgery at a different hospital when doctors realized that the ectopic pregnancy had began to rupture. By that time, physicians had to remove most of her fallopian tube, possibly resulting in a loss of fertility.
Doctors say if had waited any longer, she would have been “in extreme danger of losing her life.”
