Yet another life has been lost due to the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
According to a report by ProPublica, Porsha Ngumezi, a 35-year-old woman from Texas, was refused the necessary medical treatment for a miscarriage as a result of her state’s stringent abortion restrictions.
Ngumezi, a mother of two, went through a devastating miscarriage on June 11, 2023, when she was 11 weeks pregnant. She faced a distressing situation with heavy bleeding, and nurses described the passing clots as large as grapefruits. To address the excessive bleeding, Ngumezi received two blood transfusions in the emergency room at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.
Ngumezi’s mother-in-law, who used to be a physician, suggested that she undergo a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure. This procedure involves using a curette to scrape the lining of the uterus, which effectively removes the baby from inside the womb. D&Cs are typically performed during the first trimester for both miscarriages and abortions.
According to Ngumezi’s doctor, the hospital considers the treatment of miscarriages with a drug called misoprostol to be a routine procedure.
“The mindset I had that day was, ‘They’re the experts, right?’ I know they have seen miscarriages many times, so they are well equipped to know what to do,” Ngumezi’s husband, Hope , said.
Ngumezi passed away three hours after being administered the medication. The medical examiner determined that the cause of Ngumezi’s death was hemorrhage.
“It could have been prevented,” Hope said. “It felt like everyone turned their backs on us during that day.”
ProPublica reported that Ngumezi’s case was extensively reviewed by multiple doctors, who unanimously agreed that her death could have been prevented. These experts emphasized that the use of misoprostol, a medication known to carry significant risks, should be avoided in cases of heavy bleeding, and instead, a D&C procedure should have been performed.
“Misoprostol at 11 weeks is not going to work fast enough,” Dr. Amber Truehart , an OB-GYN at the University of New Mexico Center for Reproductive Health, said. “The patient will continue to bleed and have a higher risk of going into hemorrhagic shock.”
Texas has implemented a strict abortion ban that prohibits doctors from performing the procedure unless the mother’s life is considered to be in danger. Violating this law can result in doctors facing up to 99 years in prison. As a result, many medical professionals are now reluctant to perform D&Cs, even in cases of miscarriages.
“Stigma and fear are there for D&Cs in a way that they are not for misoprostol,” Dr. Alison Goulding , an OB-GYN in Houston, said. “Doctors assume that a D&C is not standard in Texas anymore, even in cases where it should be recommended. People are afraid: They see D&C as abortion and abortion as illegal.”
Ngumezi’s death is the fifth tragic incident that could have been avoided had Roe v. Wade not been overturned.