Federal Investigation Launched into Hospitals' Refusal of Abortion for Pregnant Woman

Two hospitals, Freeman Hospital West of Joplin, Missouri, and the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas, are under investigation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for violating the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) by not offering necessary stabilizing care to a pregnant woman who was refused an abortion. The patient was nearly 18 weeks pregnant when she had a preterm premature rupture of membranes, but was told that her pregnancy wasn’t viable. Hospitals found to be in violation of EMTALA could lose their Medicare and Medicaid provider agreements and could face civil penalties.