A pregnant 18-year-old teenager from Texas has died after the state's ban on abortion stopped her doctors from providing her life-saving medical care.
Nevaeh Crain, 18, died just days after her baby shower after developing sepsis while suffering a miscarriage. Doctors failed to intervene to remove the unviable fetus due to the near-total ban on abortion in the state until after they confirmed "fetal demise."
However, it was already too dangerous to perform procedures on Crain by the time doctors confirmed the death of the fetus. She died in the intensive care unit, as first reported by ProPublica.
Teen Suffers Miscarriage That Led to Her Death
On Oct. 28, 2023, Crain woke up with a headache. She later developed a fever and suffered from nausea and vomiting. She was taken to the emergency room in the afternoon, where they waited for four hours. She was diagnosed with strep throat and discharged with antibiotics.
It was noted that the healthcare providers did not evaluate her pregnancy during the visit, even after she complained of sharp abdominal cramps.
They rushed Crain to a different hospital hours later after she complained of intense stomach pain. She was promptly diagnosed with sepsis and a urinary tract infection. She was given IV fluids and antibiotics for two hours and was later discharged with more antibiotics despite showing signs of declining.
Crain returned to the hospital again the following morning after she experienced heavy bleeding. Doctors on duty at the time could no longer find a fetal heartbeat. However, the abortion ban meant they could not remove an unviable fetus unless the mother's life was at risk.
"Pretty consistently, people say, 'Until we can be absolutely certain this isn't a normal pregnancy, we can't do anything, because it could be alleged that we were doing an abortion,'" San Antonio OB-GYN Dr. Tony Ogburn told the publication.
Doctors confirmed the death of the fetus more than two hours later after performing a second ultrasound. However, it was no longer safe to perform surgical procedures to remove the fetus at the time. Crain died hours later.
Another Pregnant Woman Who Miscarried Dies
Crain is at least one of two pregnant women in Texas who died after doctors delayed emergency care. Josseli Barnica was 17 weeks pregnant when she suffered a miscarriage. However, doctors delayed treatment for 40 hours as they had to wait until there was no fetal heartbeat. This exposed Barnica's uterus to bacteria, causing an infection that claimed her life three days later.
Experts who reviewed Barnica's case said her death was "preventable" had she been given emergency care.
