A Kansas hospital is facing a lawsuit from a woman in Missouri who claims that she was denied emergency abortion services when she went into premature labor at 18 weeks of pregnancy. According to her, she was not provided with the necessary emergency health-stabilizing care that she required.
A lawsuit has been filed following a government investigation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which discovered that hospitals in Missouri and Kansas had breached federal law by denying Mylissa Farmer access to abortion care. This legal action comes a year after the initial investigation.
The University of Kansas Health System and its governing hospital authority are facing a lawsuit from Farmer under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). This federal law requires hospitals funded by Medicare to provide emergency stabilizing care to all patients.
According to a lawsuit, Farmer claimed that she experienced preterm premature rupture of membranes in August 2022, which is when a pregnant woman’s water breaks before the pregnancy is viable. She asserts that she had lost all of her amniotic fluid by the time she arrived at the Kansas Hospital, where she was sent after being turned away from a Missouri hospital due to the state’s abortion ban.
The lawsuit stated that if left untreated, she could have faced severe blood loss, sepsis, loss of fertility, and even death.
According to the lawsuit, Farmer claimed that the hospital’s physicians neglected to carry out basic emergency checks, such as evaluating her pain and taking her temperature.
According to Farmer, the hospital physicians informed her about the potential dangers associated with not having an emergency abortion. However, she claimed that they refused to provide her with any treatment.
According to the lawsuit, Farmer received abortion care in Illinois two days after her prolonged miscarriage, but unfortunately, it resulted in significant harm to her health.
According to a statement released by the National Women’s Law Center, the woman is pursuing legal action against the hospital for denying her care and violating both federal and Kansas laws. She is seeking a declaration to this effect as well as financial compensation for the harm she experienced.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Farmer expressed that the experience he went through is something that nobody should have to endure. He emphasized that the denial of care not only endangered his life, but it also caused him and his husband to suffer from physical and mental pain, financial difficulties, and irreparable trauma.
According to the lawsuit, Farmer is still enduring physical, psychological, and financial difficulties as a consequence of her traumatic experience. Her doctor has concluded that the denial of care has worsened a pre-existing chronic illness, resulting in several hospitalizations since her encounter with TUKH.
According to the lawsuit, Ms. Farmer’s trauma had severe psychological and physical effects, which led to her inability to work for several months. As a result, she lost her home due to the lack of income.
In light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that prevented Idaho from imposing a ban on abortions in situations where the mother’s health is at risk, a lawsuit has been filed. This is the first time the court has addressed a state abortion law since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a decision that eliminated federal safeguards for abortion rights.
According to ABC News, The University of Kansas Health System stated that they have not yet viewed the lawsuit and therefore do not wish to comment on the matter at this time.
The hospital has defended its actions by stating that it was simply following its policy, according to a statement released after the complaint was made last year.
The statement asserts that the standard of care was met, taking into account the available facts and adhering to all relevant laws. Additionally, it acknowledges that the complaint process initiated by the government will be honored and respected.
