In a groundbreaking legal move, California's Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Humboldt County. The suit alleges that the Catholic hospital denied emergency abortion care to a woman experiencing a miscarriage, potentially endangering her life.
The patient at the center of the case, Anna Nusslock, was 15 weeks pregnant with twins when she arrived at the hospital on February 23 with ruptured membranes. Doctors diagnosed her with previable preterm rupture of membranes (PPROM), a condition that posed serious risks to Nusslock's health, including the possibility of hemorrhage, infection, and death.
Despite the urgent nature of the situation, the hospital reportedly refused to perform an emergency abortion. According to the complaint, the hospital cited its policy against providing such care as long as fetal heart tones were detectable, even though medical professionals agreed that immediate intervention was necessary.
Instead of receiving treatment, Nusslock was transferred to another hospital 20 minutes away. The lawsuit claims that Providence St. Joseph provided her with a bucket and towels "in case something happened in the car" during the transfer. By the time Nusslock reached the operating room at the second hospital, she was allegedly "actively hemorrhaging."
Attorney General Bonta asserts that the hospital's actions violated several California laws, including the Emergency Services Law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the Unfair Competition Law. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to ensure that Providence St. Joseph provides prompt emergency abortion care to future patients.
Nusslock, speaking at the press conference announcing the lawsuit, described her experience as causing "needless protracted pain, bleeding and trauma." She emphasized that the hospital's policy subjected her to unnecessary risk by delaying critical care.
In response to the lawsuit, Providence St. Joseph Hospital stated that they are reviewing the case but cannot comment further due to active litigation and patient confidentiality concerns. They expressed sorrow over Nusslock's experience.
This case highlights the ongoing tension between religious hospital policies and emergency medical care, even in states like California that strongly support reproductive rights. As the legal battle unfolds, it may have far-reaching implications for how hospitals balance their religious affiliations with their obligations to provide emergency medical care.