Even if legislation does not include provisions specifically outlawing treatment of ectopic pregnancies, confusion can have a “chilling” effect for providers and patients, said Mary Ziegler, a professor at Florida State University and the author of several books on abortion rights in the U.S. This can result in delays that threaten the health of the mother.
“I think that there are going to be patients who may not seek care because they’re going to be afraid of criminal consequences for themselves, whether or not the law actually authorizes that. And I think there’ll be doctors who are afraid of the consequences who may not provide care because they’re afraid of something happening to them,” said Ziegler. “Sometimes it’s not just even a matter of what the law is, it’s what people think the law is, and how afraid they get as a result, that can have an effect on the kind of care people actually receive.”
The stringent abortion restrictions passed in Texas last year include exceptions for medical emergencies, for example, but does not define the term. In October, The Lily reported the story of one woman with an ectopic pregnancy who was denied treatment by her doctor—who was worried about being sued—and then turned away at an emergency room. Additionally, Kaiser Health News reported on Wednesday that a pharmacy had told many OB-GYNs in the Austin area in late 2021 that it would no longer fill the drug methotrexate, the medication used to treat ectopic pregnancies, because of the recent Texas law. While the director of the Texas Right to Life told KHN this was a misreading of the law, the confusion nonetheless was apparently enough to provide a roadblock to potentially life-saving care.