"Striking" new data: Miscarriage is increasingly dangerous under Texas abortion law

A new ProPublica data analysis adds empirical weight to evidence that abortion bans have made miscarriage far more dangerous.

Texas bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy, even before there is cardiac activity or a visible embryo.

The number of blood transfusions during emergency room visits for first -trimester miscarriage shot up by 54% .

ProPublica: Pressure to diagnose a miscarriage has led to delays in offering D&Cs in some clinics and hospitals across Texas .

Some doctors default to what many pregnancy loss experts view as an overly cautious method for diagnosing miscarriage: ultrasound images alone, using criteria from the Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound .

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend this approach, advising doctors instead to review the ultrasound as one piece of information.

Sarah De Pablos Velez went to the emergency room at St. David’s Medical Center , unaware of the pain and bleeding.

She received two blood transfusions, but doctors who reviewed her records said she would have soon lost her life.

The hospital did not respond to multiple requests for comment for ProPublica 's story last fall .