Providence St. Joseph Hospital has agreed to California Attorney General Rob Bonta's stipulation that the hospital will provide emergency abortion care in the future.
The stipulation comes after the state attorney general sued the Eureka, Calif.-based hospital, alleging it violated multiple state laws by refusing to provide emergency abortion care to people experiencing obstetric emergencies.
Providence voluntarily agreed to the stipulation, which is subject to court approval. The stipulation states that the hospital will:
- Allow physicians to terminate a patient's pregnancy when a patient's health is in serious jeopardy, there is a risk of serious impairment of the patient's bodily functions or a serious dysfunction of any bodily organ.
- Comply with pre-transfer treatment requirements, including that a pregnant patient cannot be transferred without Providence first providing emergency services and care.
- Follow the policy and protocol requirements under the state's health and safety codes and fully comply with Californa's laws with respect to pregnant patients experiencing emergency medical conditions.
In February, Anna Nusslock, a chiropractor pregnant with twins, went to the hospital after her water broke 15 weeks into pregnancy. She was diagnosed with previable preterm premature rupture of membranes, which has a standard treatment that includes an abortion. Physicians told her that she could face infection, hemorrhaging and threats to future fertility if the pregnancy was not terminated. However, they could not perform the abortion because the hospital's policy prohibited providing abortions unless the mother's life was at risk and while the fetuses had a pulse. Ms. Nusslock ultimately went to another local hospital to receive care where she arrived hemorrhaging and passing a blood clot the size of an apple. One fetus was expelled and she was rushed to an operating room to have the other removed.
"We are heartbroken over the experience this patient had while in our care and reached out to her today in an effort to express our profound apologies," Providence Northern California Service Area Chief Executive Garry Olney said in a letter to all Northern California Providence caregivers that was shared with Becker's Oct. 2. "This was a tragic situation that did not meet our high standards for safe, quality, compassionate care. … We will learn from this and renew our commitment to ensuring that the care and experience we deliver are aligned with our high standards, every time and in every care setting."
The lawsuit is still ongoing.