Here's Why This Blue State Is Suing a Catholic Hospital

Madeline Leesman | October 01, 2024 10:45 AM

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing a rural Catholic hospital for allegedly refusing to perform on abortion on a patient.

According to POLITICO, the pregnancy was “not viable” and her health was “at risk.” This is the first time a state has gone after a hospital for something like this post-Dobbs, the outlet noted.

“We have a hospital policy reminiscent of heartbeat laws in extremist red states,” Bonta reportedly said at a press conference Monday. “We’ve heard tragic stories from across the country of women denied life-saving treatment, but it usually comes out of states that have outlawed abortion. We’re not immune from this problem.”

In February, the patient, Anna Nusslock’s, 36, water broke. She was 15 weeks pregnant with twins at the time.

Reportedly, doctors at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka told her that her pregnancy was no longer viable. Nusslock reportedly claimed that she was sent home with towels to help with her bleeding (via POLITICO):

The case accuses the Eureka hospital of violating state laws by not providing abortions for people experiencing miscarriages or “other obstetric emergencies.” The hospital has a policy that prohibits the termination of a pregnancy when there is a “detectable heartbeat,” until there was immediate risk to Nusslock’s life, according to the complaint.

According to The New York Times, the babies still had heartbeats when Nusslock was at the hospital. She left the Eureka hospital and went to the next closest one, where she was hemorrhaging and passing a blood clot “the size of an apple.” Then, she expelled one fetus. She went to the operating room “so the other fetus could be removed,” the Times added.