California files lawsuit against Catholic hospital for allegedly denying abortion services
During a news conference on Monday, the patient shared her experience, stating that she was dismissed with a bucket of towels to manage her bleeding.
TroibNews 
SACRAMENTO, California — Attorney General Rob Bonta has initiated a lawsuit against a rural Catholic hospital for allegedly denying an abortion to a patient whose pregnancy was no longer viable and posed a risk to her health.
“We have a hospital policy reminiscent of heartbeat laws in extremist red states,” Bonta asserted at a press conference on 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.”
This marks the first instance of a state pursuing legal action against a hospital for violations of post-Roe abortion protections. While the federal government has filed lawsuits against hospitals in Texas and Idaho, no state has approached abortion-rights protections in this manner until now.
Anna Nusslock experienced her water breaking in February while she was 15 weeks pregnant with twins.
Despite medical professionals informing her that the pregnancy was not viable, Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka allegedly refused to terminate her pregnancy due to a hospital policy, as stated in the lawsuit filed in Humboldt County Superior Court.
Nusslock, who addressed the audience at the news conference, reported that she was sent away with a bucket of towels to manage her bleeding.
The lawsuit claims that the Eureka hospital violated state laws by not providing abortions to patients facing miscarriages or “other obstetric emergencies.” According to the complaint, the hospital maintains a policy that prohibits pregnancy termination when there is a “detectable heartbeat,” unless there is an immediate threat to Nusslock’s life.
Bonta is pursuing an injunction to ensure that patients receive emergency health care, including abortion services.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
“We have a hospital policy reminiscent of heartbeat laws in extremist red states,” Bonta asserted at a press conference on 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.”
This marks the first instance of a state pursuing legal action against a hospital for violations of post-Roe abortion protections. While the federal government has filed lawsuits against hospitals in Texas and Idaho, no state has approached abortion-rights protections in this manner until now.
Anna Nusslock experienced her water breaking in February while she was 15 weeks pregnant with twins.
Despite medical professionals informing her that the pregnancy was not viable, Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka allegedly refused to terminate her pregnancy due to a hospital policy, as stated in the lawsuit filed in Humboldt County Superior Court.
Nusslock, who addressed the audience at the news conference, reported that she was sent away with a bucket of towels to manage her bleeding.
The lawsuit claims that the Eureka hospital violated state laws by not providing abortions to patients facing miscarriages or “other obstetric emergencies.” According to the complaint, the hospital maintains a policy that prohibits pregnancy termination when there is a “detectable heartbeat,” unless there is an immediate threat to Nusslock’s life.
Bonta is pursuing an injunction to ensure that patients receive emergency health care, including abortion services.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
