A third woman died under Texas’ abortion ban. Doctors are avoiding D&Cs and reaching for riskier miscarriage treatments.
A third woman died under Texas’ abortion ban. Doctors are avoiding D&Cs and reaching for riskier miscarriage treatments.
Thirty-five-year-old Porsha Ngumezi’s case raises questions about how abortion bans are pressuring doctors to avoid standard care even in straightforward miscarriages.
Summary
Texas’ strict abortion ban is causing doctors to avoid life-saving dilation and curettage (D&C) procedures, used to remove pregnancy tissue after miscarriages, due to fear of legal repercussions.
Porsha Ngumezi, 35, died in June 2023 after doctors at Houston Methodist Sugar Land gave her misoprostol—a slower, riskier treatment—instead of performing a D&C, despite severe hemorrhaging.
Experts say her death was preventable.
Miscarriage care delays and denials have risen statewide, with physicians hesitant to act under unclear legal protections.
Critics argue the law prioritizes criminal penalties over patient safety, leading to preventable deaths.
