Pregnant teen's death after multiple ER visits in Texas exposes medical care risks

Medical records indicate Crain tested positive for sepsis, a potentially life-threatening illness, on her second visit

A pregnant teenager in Texas has died after three separate visits to emergency rooms, a case that has intensified scrutiny of the impact of abortion restrictions on medical care in the US.

Nevaeh Crain, 18, sought help at two different emergency rooms within 12 hours in October 2023, only to return home feeling progressively worse each time. On her first visit, Crain was diagnosed solely with strep throat, despite reporting severe abdominal pain, according to ProPublica. Her case is among at least two maternal deaths linked to Texas’s abortion ban, implemented after the US Supreme Court’s decision to end federal abortion protections. Another woman, Josseli Barnica, 28, died following a miscarriage in 2021.

These incidents have highlighted a reality in which medical professionals in states with strict abortion laws are increasingly cautious about providing treatment to pregnant women, fearing possible legal consequences. Texas law imposes severe penalties, including prison, for interventions that could terminate a fetal heartbeat, regardless of whether the pregnancy is wanted.

Medical records reportedly show that Crain tested positive for sepsis, a potentially life-threatening infection, on her second visit. Despite this, doctors discharged her after confirming that her six-month-old fetus still had a heartbeat. On her third hospital trip, Crain was finally admitted to intensive care after an obstetrician requested two ultrasounds to confirm fetal demise, ProPublica reported. Crain died hours later from organ failure; a nurse observed her lips had turned "blue and dusky". She would have turned 20 this Friday.

While Texas law includes exceptions for life-threatening cases, medical practitioners are often uncertain which treatments might breach the law, leaving some women without timely, essential care. In states with abortion restrictions, patients are frequently transferred between hospitals as staff grapple with legalities, losing precious time.

“Pregnant women have become essentially untouchables,” Sara Rosenbaum, a health law and policy professor emerita at George Washington University, told ProPublica.

Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All, described Crain’s death as an alarming illustration of abortion bans’ deadly risks. “Pregnancy should not be a death sentence,” Timmaraju stated. She attributed the abortion restrictions to Republican politicians like former President Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who is contending with Democrat Collin Allred in an upcoming re-election race.

“This has to stop,” she said. “Our best chance to end it is to vote for reproductive freedom,” encouraging support for Allred and Kamala Harris against Trump in the 5 November election. With such support, Timmaraju believes, “we can restore the right to abortion and overturn these bans.”