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Series: Life of the Mother: How Abortion Bans Lead to Preventable Deaths
Key Points from the Report:
Nevaeh Crain’s Emergency Room Visits: At six months pregnant, Nevaeh went to two Texas emergency rooms three times in 20 hours because she was feeling very unwell.
Ultrasound Delay: During her last visit, a doctor insisted on doing two ultrasounds to check on her baby before moving her to intensive care. Unfortunately, she died hours later.
A Tragic Pattern: Nevaeh is one of at least two women in Texas who have died due to complications related to the state’s abortion ban. The other was Josseli Barnica, who died after a miscarriage in 2021.
On October 29, 2023, Candace Fails cried out for help in a Texas hospital for her daughter, Nevaeh Crain. Nevaeh, only 18, was in severe pain, too weak to walk, and bleeding. She had been feeling sick and had gone to two different emergency rooms within 12 hours but was sent home each time without the help she needed.
The first hospital diagnosed her with strep throat but didn’t check her for serious abdominal pain. At the second hospital, doctors recognized she might have sepsis, a serious infection, but sent her home when they confirmed the baby was still alive.
On her third visit, the doctor wanted to confirm if the baby had died with more ultrasounds. By then, Nevaeh’s condition had worsened; her blood pressure dropped, and she showed signs of severe distress. Despite the urgent situation, she was not treated quickly enough, and she died shortly after.
Candace, who had hoped to see her daughter turn 20 soon, can’t understand why the hospitals didn’t treat Nevaeh’s situation as an emergency. Many doctors say pregnant women face challenges in states with strict abortion laws, often hesitating to provide necessary care due to fear of legal repercussions.
In Texas, the abortion law can lead to prison time for doctors if they act on cases that might end a pregnancy. This has made medical staff nervous about treating pregnant patients, leading to delays in care when it’s most critical.
Nevaeh’s case raises serious questions about how pregnant women are treated under current laws. Some experts believe her death could have been prevented if she had received immediate and thorough care. Even if they weren’t sure if her life could have been saved, they noted that quicker action could have helped.
Nevaeh had just graduated high school and was excited about becoming a mom. When she found out she was having a girl, she and her mother talked about names and dreams for her future.
However, on the day of her baby shower, she woke up feeling sick and ultimately had to go to the hospital. Despite the pain and symptoms she was experiencing, she was sent home without adequate treatment twice before her final visit.
After her third trip, as her condition worsened, medical staff failed to act swiftly, waiting too long to perform necessary procedures. Nevaeh’s family was devastated by the loss, feeling that the hospitals overlooked her serious condition.
The case of Nevaeh Crain highlights the troubling impact of strict abortion laws on women’s health and raises concerns about the medical care provided to pregnant women in emergencies.
