(Reuters) -California’s attorney general on Monday sued a Catholic hospital accused of refusing to provide an emergency abortion in February to a woman whose water broke prematurely, putting her at risk of potentially life-threatening infection and hemorrhage.
Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta accused Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka of discriminating against pregnant patients and violating the state’s law requiring hospitals to provide necessary emergency care.
The lawsuit, filed in Humboldt County Superior Court, seeks a court order to stop the hospital from denying medically necessary abortions in the future, as well as civil penalties.
“Providence is deeply committed to the health and wellness of women and pregnant patients and provides emergency services to all who walk through our doors in accordance with state and federal law,” a Providence spokesperson said in an email, adding that the hospital was reviewing the lawsuit. “We are heartbroken over Dr. Nusslock’s experience earlier this year.”
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