For ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” series, winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for public service, we reported on five pregnant women who died after not receiving timely medical care in states with strict abortion bans. Amber Thurman went to the hospital with telltale signs of sepsis, but abortion was a felony in Georgia and it took 20 hours for doctors to intervene with a dilation and curettage, or D&C, procedure.
Doctors warned Candi Miller that another pregnancy could kill her. Under Georgia’s abortion ban, she died trying to navigate the process alone. “She was trying to terminate the pregnancy, not terminate herself,” Miller’s sister said.
In Texas, Josseli Barnica’s husband says a hospital told her that it would be a “crime” to help manage her miscarriage. Days later, she died from an infection that developed after she waited 40 hours for treatment.
18-year-old Nevaeh Crain visited two Texas emergency rooms in 12 hours, returning home each time worse than before. On her third trip, a doctor still insisted on two ultrasounds to “confirm fetal demise” before moving her to intensive care.
Porsha Ngumezi needed a D&C, but under Texas’ abortion ban, the doctor recommended a riskier course of action. Her case raises serious questions about how abortion bans pressure doctors to diverge from the standard of care.
Our investigations illuminated the profound human cost of these policies. They exposed the chilling impact on medical professionals forced to choose between their oath and the law, the anguish faced by families and the broader erosion of women’s health and autonomy. Listen to some of the project’s reporters and editors reflect on their stories, their process and the lessons they’ve learned. |
