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Two women are demanding that the federal government investigate two Texas hospitals after they were denied abortions despite having “life-threatening” pregnancies that may have affected their fertility.

Kyleigh Thurman of Burnet County and Kelsie Norris-De La Cruz of Dallas both had ectopic pregnancies, meaning a fertilized egg implants in a fallopian tube instead of the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy is never viable and can result in a ruptured fallopian tube, which can lead to the death of the mother. An ectopic pregnancy requires an abortion.

But Ascension Seton Williamson Hospital in Round Rock refused to treat Thurman, which ultimately led to her loss of a fallopian tube.

According to the administrative complaint, Thurman did not know she was pregnant when she began experiencing intermittent cramps, dizziness and persistent bleeding in early 2023 that lasted for nearly a month.

Her gynecologist thought she had an ectopic pregnancy, but since the office was fully booked that day, the doctor advised her to go to the emergency room and get a methotrexate injection to terminate the pregnancy. It was her first.

Thurman went to her hometown emergency room twice in two days and was discharged both times. In the meantime, her gynecologist confirmed, through a review of Thurman’s blood tests, that her pregnancy was ectopic and recommended that she go to a larger hospital where methotrexate would likely be available.

Thurman drove an hour to Ascension Seton Williamson, and on Feb. 21, her gynecologist called the on-call doctor to say the patient needed methotrexate “immediately” for an ectopic pregnancy. But hospital staff refused treatment, the filing says.

Her vaginal bleeding continued for several days. Thurman returned to Ascension, where she was again denied treatment. Her gynecologist even went to the hospital and “begged the medical staff to give her methotrexate,” the filing states.

By that time, her ectopic pregnancy had already ruptured. Days later, Thurman suffered “sudden, stabbing pains on her right side” and was told she was bleeding to death. Her right fallopian tube was removed to “save her life,” the filing states.

“The removal of the fallopian tube required by the delay in treatment will likely affect her ability to have a child in the future.”

Waiting any longer could have cost Thurman his life, the indictment says.

In an email, an Ascension spokesperson said: The Independent: “While we cannot provide details about this case, Ascension is committed to providing quality care to everyone who uses our services.”

Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital also refused to treat Norris-De La Cruz for an ectopic pregnancy.

The 25-year-old had already suffered two miscarriages when she discovered she was pregnant again in January, during her final year of college.

She recognized that her symptoms were “worrisome” – cramps, vaginal bleeding and blood clots, the file says.

On February 12, Norris-De La Cruz went to the emergency room at Texas Health Arlington, where she was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy and opted for a surgical abortion.

However, the gynecologist on call refused to provide any treatment to the “devastated” patient, the filing states. Although two gynecologists at Texas Health Hospital told her there was a possibility of a tear, she was told to come back 48 hours later for another blood test.

Norris-De La Cruz decided to wait a few more hours until the hospital shift changed to the next gynecologist on duty.

While they waited, the first emergency room doctor wrote in her file: “I do not feel comfortable discharging her home and do not believe it is in her best interest.” But a second gynecologist on duty again refused to treat her.

Norris-De La Cruz had to undergo emergency surgery the next day after her friend arranged an appointment for her to see her gynecologist. At the time of the surgery, “her pregnancy was close to termination,” the lawsuit states.

She lost most of her right fallopian tube and 75 percent of her right ovary had to be removed, “which was necessary due to the delay in treatment.”

This would “likely affect her ability to have a child in the future” but could also have cost her life, the lawsuit states.

The Independent has contacted Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital for comment.

Although almost all abortions are banned in Texas, state law allows the medical procedure for ectopic pregnancies, according to a statement from the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), which filed the complaints in federal court on behalf of the two women.

However, because Texas doctors face “extreme threats of prosecution and punishment” – including up to 99 years in prison, loss of license to practice and fines of at least $100,000 – they are “afraid” to perform abortions, CRR said.

In their complaints, the women allege that the hospitals violated EMTALA, a federal law that requires doctors to stabilize or treat every patient who comes to the emergency room.

Ectopic pregnancies are the leading cause of first-trimester maternal deaths, accounting for 5 to 10 percent of all pregnancy-related deaths in the United States, according to a 2023 study. In Texas, obstetric bleeding was the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in 2022. The most common cause of bleeding was a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee reported.

The women are demanding that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services authorities conduct an independent investigation into the two hospitals. They are also calling on the government to take all necessary steps to correct any violations of law identified during the investigation, including imposing all appropriate penalties and providing “other appropriate and proportionate remedies.”

“I never imagined I would end up in the crosshairs of my home state’s extreme abortion bans. I spent weeks in emergency rooms trying to get the abortion I needed to save my future fertility and my life. This should have been a clear case. Yet I was left completely in the dark, with no information or options for the care I deserved,” Thurman said in a statement.

Norris-De La Cruz also said: “Even though my life was clearly in danger, the hospital told me they could not help me. I lost half of my fertility and if I had had to wait any longer, I would most likely have died.”

“Doctors knew I needed an abortion, but these bans make it almost impossible to get basic emergency medical care.”

The federal complaints are the latest legal challenges to the state’s restrictive abortion law, which took effect after the Supreme Court struck down the law. Roe v. Wade in 2022.

In May, the Texas Supreme Court dismissed a historic lawsuit challenging the state’s abortion ban. Twenty-two women – some of whom nearly died during pregnancy – sought clarity on the ban’s vague language regarding emergency medical exemptions. The court ruled that the state law was broad enough.