Texas' Anti-woman Law Puts Another Life at Risk

[Chris]

If Who's link, post #87, is accurate, then the entire story comes from Amanda. I'm sure the experience was traumatic. But she's no medical expert. And we don't hear from the doctors or hospital board why they choose as they did, that's assumed in OP and stories.

[Abby08]

If Who's link, post #87, is accurate, then the entire story comes from Amanda. I'm sure the experience was traumatic. But she's no medical expert. And we don't hear from the doctors or hospital board why they choose as they did, that's assumed in OP and stories.

If it had happened as told, the doctors were negligent.

I'm wondering if this was just another sensational story, like the other 2 I've read claiming, "omg, another woman almost died"!! Those other 2 stories were so full of holes, you could have driven a truck through them.

If indeed, the story is 100% accurate, it WAS an emergency and, a doctor would have known that.

A little "embellishment" in the story telling, perhaps?

[carolina73]

If it had happened as told, the doctors were negligent.

I'm wondering if this was just another sensational story, like the other 2 I've read claiming, "omg, another woman almost died"!! Those other 2 stories were so full of holes, you could have driven a truck through them.

If indeed, the story is 100% accurate, it WAS an emergency and, a doctor would have known that.

A little "embellishment" in the story telling, perhaps?

You can't really say that. As a young engineer, I worked for a Fortune 500 company and I saw our corporate lawyers block changes that made product stronger several times based on fear of appearances in future court cases.

Doing the right thing does not keep you out of court. Then it is a matter of how will it look, not if you did the right thing.

[FindersKeepers]

While I agree with your statement, please consider the fact that doctors make judgement decisions every single moment of their work. Every. Single. Moment.

I've seen medical personnel make split second decisions and not a single one was based on fear of law. IMO, those that disagree with the State law on abortion will make a noise based on their fear of law violations as LOUD as they can, right up to and including using someone's life to make their point. Yes, I said it.

They CHOSE to fear at the possible cost of life. How many hypocritic oaths got violated in this case??

Yes, they chose fear -- the fear of losing their licenses or facing prison time.

But, to me, the bottom line is that they should never have been put in that position by the politicians in the first place. And, as you say, doctors don't always make the best decisions.

We can't really fault the doctors who were looking out for their best interests and weighing those interests against the health of the young woman. The real question is what decision would they have made if the law was not in place? Odds are, they would have erred on the side of caution and induced labor. As it is, the young couple can't sue the doctors for malpractice because they have the law on their side.

This is just one case where the young couple was so angry they spoke up. How many patients went through the same thing but didn't speak up? I'd bet there are more. But, there shouldn't be any. A doctor should be able to make decisions and recommend treatment based on his knowledge and expertise.

[carolina73]

Yes, they chose fear -- the fear of losing their licenses or facing prison time.

But, to me, the bottom line is that they should never have been put in that position by the politicians in the first place. And, as you say, doctors don't always make the best decisions.

We can't really fault the doctors who were looking out for their best interests and weighing those interests against the health of the young woman. The real question is what decision would they have made if the law was not in place? Odds are, they would have erred on the side of caution and induced labor. As it is, the young couple can't sue the doctors for malpractice because they have the law on their side.

This is just one case where the young couple was so angry they spoke up. How many patients went through the same thing but didn't speak up? I'd bet there are more. But, there shouldn't be any. A doctor should be able to make decisions and recommend treatment based on his knowledge and expertise.

That never happened in your life time. A doctor is a business on his own that may work for another business. His first concern is not being sued. He works indirectly for his insurance company, the licensing board, then the group or hospital that he works for.
I believe you said you had your own business. They you work for OSHA, your insurer, maybe a government entity that tells you that you have to do something ridiculous and you do.

[Tahuyaman]

The pro abortion crowd is quite zealous.

[Captdon]

Labor not starting within 24 hours of the water breaking is very rare.

Yet, she was sent home by her doctor not by any law.

[Captdon]

I think if she had been bleeding, then there would have been obvious danger but the typical danger with miscarriage is when the placenta doesn't come out. Many women miscarry at home and go to the hospital for a D&C. I don't think this case is as cut and dried as you seem to think. They wouldn't have sent her home if she had started having contractions.

They sent her home. The law had nothing to do with this. She didn't ask for an abortion.

[Captdon]

I found another article on this story. It wasn't the doctor's decision. It was the hospital's ethics board that made the decision to make her wait. AFIK, those boards usually include lawyers.

"It took three days at home until I became sick 'enough' that the ethics board at our hospital agreed we could begin medical treatment; three days until my life was considered at risk 'enough' for the inevitable premature delivery of my daughter to be performed; three days until the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals were allowed to do their jobs,"


"We asked all of our doctors and our nurses, isn't there something you can do, and they said no," Amanda says in the video. "I couldn't make the decision for myself, we couldn't make the decision for our daughter, our doctors couldn't make the decision. They were just as furious as we were because their hands were tied. Had they acted, they would have been charged with a felony."
Texas Woman Nearly Loses Her Life After Doctors Can't Legally Perform an Abortion (people.com)

Then it's on them. They decided what to do. The law didn't. It is just an excuse.

[Captdon]

Yes, they chose fear -- the fear of losing their licenses or facing prison time.

But, to me, the bottom line is that they should never have been put in that position by the politicians in the first place. And, as you say, doctors don't always make the best decisions.

We can't really fault the doctors who were looking out for their best interests and weighing those interests against the health of the young woman. The real question is what decision would they have made if the law was not in place? Odds are, they would have erred on the side of caution and induced labor. As it is, the young couple can't sue the doctors for malpractice because they have the law on their side.

This is just one case where the young couple was so angry they spoke up. How many patients went through the same thing but didn't speak up? I'd bet there are more. But, there shouldn't be any. A doctor should be able to make decisions and recommend treatment based on his knowledge and expertise.

The doctors made this decision, not any law. If the danger was real they would have done what needed to be done. You know that as well as I do. The young couple were lied to by their doctor. No ill person is sent home to wait until their health becomes a danger. It doesn't work that way in real life.