California Sues Catholic Hospital for Denying Emergency Abortion, According to Reuters

By Brendan Pierson

California’s attorney general has initiated legal action against a Catholic hospital for allegedly denying an emergency abortion to a woman in February after her water broke prematurely, which posed serious risks of infection and hemorrhaging.

Attorney General Rob Bonta has accused Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka of discriminating against pregnant patients and violating state laws that mandate hospitals to provide essential emergency care. The lawsuit, submitted to Humboldt County Superior Court, aims to prevent the hospital from refusing medically necessary abortions in the future and seeks civil penalties.

A spokesperson for Providence stated that the hospital is committed to the health of women and pregnant patients, asserting that it provides emergency services per state and federal regulations. The spokesperson mentioned that the hospital is currently reviewing the lawsuit and expressed sorrow over the experiences faced by Dr. Anna Nusslock earlier in the year.

Nusslock, a chiropractor pregnant with twins, was transported to another hospital 12 miles away and was hemorrhaging when she arrived for surgery, according to the complaint. During a press conference, Nusslock shared that doctors at Providence acknowledged the need for an abortion to prevent severe complications but indicated they could not perform the procedure due to the hospital’s policy against intervention while fetal heart tones were detectable, unless her life was in immediate jeopardy.

Before her transfer to Mad River Community Hospital, a nurse provided her with towels in case of complications during the car ride. Nusslock described the hospital’s policy as causing her unnecessary pain, bleeding, and trauma.

Bonta remarked that Nusslock’s experience echoes those of women in states where abortion is restricted. He emphasized that California law mandates that hospitals must provide an abortion when it is medically necessary. "We need hospitals to follow the law, at the bare minimum. That is not too much to ask," Bonta stated, labeling the situation as cruel.

This case adds to the growing number of legal disputes over emergency abortions, particularly following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that allows states to impose bans on the procedure. Similar cases have emerged, such as a lawsuit filed by a Kansas woman against the University of Kansas Health System for its refusal to provide a medically necessary abortion in 2022; that case is still pending.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that federal law governing emergency care takes precedence over Idaho’s near-total abortion ban in medical emergencies, but further litigation on this matter is anticipated.