Another Woman Died Because of Texas' Abortion Ban

"But, infuriatingly, her symptoms were clear: throughout her first trimester, she seized regularly and would be unable to speak for up to 30 minutes at a time. At five weeks pregnant, doctors noticed her hypertension levels were high enough to indicate an imminent heart attack or stroke. At nine weeks, she told her aunt she had a dream of her dead relatives inviting her to the "other side." At 12 weeks, doctors noticed severe clotting in her leg."

"More than a dozen OB-GYNs reviewed the case for ProPublica and said that since Walker had persistently high blood pressure, it would have been standard medical practice to advise her of the serious risks of her pregnancy early on, to revisit the conversation as new complications emerged and to offer termination at any point if she wanted it. Some described her condition as a "ticking time bomb." Had Walker ended her pregnancy, every expert believed, she would not have died."

Medical records totaling more than 6,500 pages, reviewed with guidance from two high-risk pregnancy specialists, show persistent and escalating medical risks during Walker's first trimester. She experienced regular seizures with up to 30-minute aphasia, dangerous hypertension by five weeks indicating imminent heart attack or stroke, a nine-week episode of a death-related dream, and severe leg clotting by 12 weeks. Over 90 clinicians, including 21 OB-GYNs, treated her but did not present termination as an option. Multiple OB-GYN reviewers said advising about risks early, revisiting options as complications emerged, and offering termination would have been standard practice. Texas law's vague near-total abortion ban created clinical uncertainty and delayed or denied life-saving care.

Read at Jezebel