Josseli Barnica, a 28-year-old Texan mom, lost her life to a delayed abortion care in 2021. The doctors informed Barnica that it would be considered a "crime" to intervene in her miscarriage because the fetus still showed cardiac activity, even though her 17-week pregnancy had already resulted in a 'miscarriage in progress,' as per medical records reviewed by ProPublica.
Josseli Barnica’s medical team informed her that, under Texas' new abortion law, they had to wait until the fetus no longer had a heartbeat, her husband shared with ProPublica.
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How did Josseli Barnica die?
For 40 hours, Josseli Barnica, desperate to return home to her daughter, hoped for medical help while her uterus remained vulnerable to infection.
According to the report, after doctors found no fetal heartbeat and administered medication to induce labor, Josseli Barnica was discharged approximately eight hours later.
Despite ongoing bleeding, hospital staff informed her that this was normal. However, when the bleeding intensified two days later, she hurried back to the hospital.
Sadly, Barnica died from an infection three days after the completion of her pregnancy. ProPublica identified Barnica as one of at least two Texas women who died after doctors delayed miscarriage care due to the state's restrictive abortion laws, which blur the line on treating pregnancies when the fetus still has a heartbeat.
Neither woman wanted an abortion, but the laws caused delays in their medical care. While supporters say these laws protect both the fetus and the pregnant person, doctors are afraid to take action because they worry about facing legal trouble and harsh penalties.
Could Josselli Barnica's death have been prevented?
More than a dozen medical experts who looked at Barnica's medical records told ProPublica that her death could have been avoided.
"These experts said that there was a good chance she might have survived if she'd been treated earlier,"
Kavitha Surana, the reporter who wrote the story for ProPublica, told ABC News Live.
"No one can say for sure where the sepsis developed. But 40 hours with your cervix wide open in a hospital, that is not the standard of care to require someone to take that risk."
Many people have come forward to highlight Josseli Barnica's tragic story to prove how important abortion rights are. Colin Allred, a representative from Dallas running for a Senate seat, was among many abortion right supporters to have posted on his X account:
"Josseli Barnica should be alive today, but because of Texas’ cruel abortion ban she could not get the care she needed. We must ensure every Texas woman can access the life-saving care she needs."
After Roe was overturned, a stricter ban was put in place, punishing doctors found guilty of providing abortions with up to 99 years in prison and fines of up to $100,000.
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