She was all for the new draconian Texas abortion ban, until it nearly killed her daughter.

Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz struggled to hold back tears as a doctor in the emergency room at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital delivered one of the most terrifying diagnoses a pregnant woman can hear. At just 25 years old, the college senior was informed that she most likely had an ectopic pregnancy — a severe and dangerous condition where the embryo implants outside the uterus. If untreated, the fallopian tube could rupture, leading to potential death.

While Texas’s law prohibiting abortion after the fall of Roe v. Wade allows doctors to treat ectopic pregnancies, doctors at the hospital refused to terminate the pregnancy, suggesting that there was still a chance the pregnancy might be viable.

Instead, they advised Norris-De La Cruz and her mother to wait at home, according to medical records reviewed by The Washington Post. It wasn’t until 24 hours later, at another hospital, that Norris-De La Cruz received emergency surgery after her ectopic pregnancy had begun to rupture.

A Delayed Treatment and Its Consequences

“I was scared I was going to lose my entire reproductive system if they waited too long,” Norris-De La Cruz said after the surgery. “I knew it could happen at any moment.”

Her ordeal highlights a frightening truth in post-Roe America: the lack of clear medical exceptions in abortion bans often results in doctors refusing to treat life-threatening pregnancy complications, causing severe consequences for patients. Her case underscores the complex intersection between abortion laws and medical diagnoses, as well as the struggles doctors and hospitals face navigating insufficient legal protections for treating women with high-risk conditions.

In the months following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, many women have shared stories of denied medical care due to abortion restrictions, with some narrowly escaping death or suffering damage to their fertility. Norris-De La Cruz is one of several women whose experiences have challenged state abortion bans in court. The Washington Post learned of her case when her mother, seeking guidance, contacted a Houston reproductive health clinic.

After reviewing numerous medical records, sonograms, and interviews, the paper corroborated Norris-De La Cruz’s account.

Four OB/GYNs who examined her medical records, with her permission, agreed that she should have been offered immediate surgery. They also speculated that Texas’s abortion law influenced the decision to delay her treatment.

“That should have been a bread and butter slam dunk diagnosis,” said Clayton Alfonso, an OB/GYN at Duke University. “It doesn’t make sense to me that they would send her away unless they feared the surgery could be perceived as causing an abortion.”

Kimberly Walton, the director of media relations for Texas Health, responded by stating that the hospital’s priority was “providing our patients with safe, high-quality care” and that the treatment offered to Norris-De La Cruz was “appropriate.” However, Walton did not address whether the delay in care was related to the abortion law. The doctors involved in the case declined to comment.

The Legal and Medical Complications of Treating Ectopic Pregnancies

State Senator Bryan Hughes, a leading advocate for Texas’s anti-abortion legislation, expressed surprise and frustration over Norris-De La Cruz’s case.

“I don’t know what the excuse would be for a Texas doctor not treating an ectopic pregnancy because that’s not the law,” said Hughes. Last year, Hughes sponsored a law clarifying that Texas doctors are permitted to treat ectopic pregnancies, aiming to prevent situations like Norris-De La Cruz’s.

However, many doctors consider Hughes’s law inadequate for treating cases like hers in the current post-Roe landscape. Diagnosing ectopic pregnancies in the fallopian tube can be challenging, as it’s difficult to confirm with 100% certainty through an ultrasound. A misdiagnosis could result in doctors fearing legal consequences for terminating a viable pregnancy.

After the first OB/GYN at Arlington Memorial refused to treat Norris-De La Cruz, her mother, Stephanie Lloyd, immediately wondered whether the abortion ban had influenced the doctor’s decision. “Does this have anything to do with the abortion law?” she asked. When the doctor remained silent, Lloyd recalled restraining her daughter, who was visibly upset.

“I’m giving my lawyers your f—ing name,” Norris-De La Cruz said, furious at the situation.

A Frightening Diagnosis and Delayed Treatment

Norris-De La Cruz had been excited about her pregnancy. After testing positive in early January, she and her boyfriend had already begun to imagine their future child. “We made jokes all the time like, ‘Maybe he’ll be a competitive chess player,’” Norris-De La Cruz recalled. “We thought the possibility of creating something that was a unity of us was really beautiful.” But within a week, she began experiencing cramping and bleeding.

On January 14, Norris-De La Cruz went to the emergency room, where doctors measured her pregnancy hormone levels and performed an ultrasound. They advised her to return in 48 hours. At her follow-up appointment, her pregnancy hormone levels had dropped significantly, and while doctors suspected a “failed early pregnancy,” they did not rule out the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy.

Despite still feeling unwell and experiencing severe abdominal pain, Norris-De La Cruz visited the University of Texas at Arlington’s health center on February 12. A nurse urged her to go straight to the emergency room, where she was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy.

However, after confronting an OB/GYN at the Arlington Memorial ER, Norris-De La Cruz was told to go home and wait. The second OB/GYN, who reviewed her case, also determined that no immediate surgery was necessary. But the situation quickly worsened.

The Long Road to Emergency Surgery

Norris-De La Cruz and her mother were desperate. After being turned away from the hospital on February 13, Lloyd contacted a New Mexico abortion clinic, hoping for help. The clinic staff member seemed confused, asking why they didn’t seek treatment in Texas. The response was another referral to a Houston clinic that did not provide the help they needed.

In the meantime, Norris-De La Cruz received a call from her best friend, Monica Perez, who was heading to her own OB/GYN appointment. Perez promised to check on the possibility of an urgent appointment. When Perez called back 20 minutes later, she had secured an appointment for Norris-De La Cruz.

At Dr. Jeffery Morgan’s clinic in Arlington, the OB/GYN immediately identified the ectopic pregnancy after reviewing Norris-De La Cruz’s ultrasound. “There are times when it’s really early in the process when it can be hard to know if it’s ectopic,” Morgan explained. “But that honestly would have been weeks before where she was in the pregnancy.” He recommended surgery immediately, and the family was relieved to hear the doctor’s clear understanding of the emergency.

The surgery was scheduled for three hours later, and the ectopic pregnancy was successfully removed, although Morgan had to take most of her right fallopian tube. This loss could impact her fertility in the future.

A Reflection on Texas’s Abortion Laws

In the aftermath of the surgery, both Norris-De La Cruz and her mother have reflected on the impact of Texas’s abortion laws. When Roe v. Wade was overturned, the two had discussed the potential consequences — with Norris-De La Cruz fearing a loss of personal freedoms, and her mother supporting the protection of unborn children. However, Lloyd never imagined that the abortion ban would prevent women from accessing lifesaving medical care.

“I didn’t realize how far it had gone,” Lloyd admitted. “But it has happened to my life now, with my daughter.” She added, “Her life has been in danger and affected by someone who was too afraid to help.”

Article was based on an interview story conducted by Washington Post