• Nevaeh Crain was six months pregnant when she developed sepsis during a miscarriage
• The 18-year-old went to the emergency room three times with severe symptoms and doctors had to “confirm fetal demise” before they could intervene
• She died hours later in the intensive care unit

A Texas teenager died after the state's abortion ban prevented her from receiving life-saving medical care even though she was suffering from pregnancy complications.

On October 28, 2023, the day of her baby shower, Nevaeh Crain woke up with a headache. Shortly afterwards, the 18-year-old, who was six months pregnant, developed a fever, followed by nausea and vomiting. She struggled through the baby shower and at 3 p.m. her family decided to take her to the emergency room. ProPublica Reports.

Crain's friend Randall Broussard drove them to a nearby hospital, where they sat in the waiting room for four hours. Staff reportedly gave her a plastic pan as she continued to vomit while waiting.

After testing, Crain was diagnosed with strep throat. In addition to vomiting, the teenager also had abdominal pain, but her pregnancy was not investigated. She was discharged and prescribed antibiotics.

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According to the outlet, Crain woke her mother, Candace Fails, in the middle of the night complaining of severe stomach pain. Fails drove her daughter to another hospital, where a gynecologist reported that she had a fever of 102.8 and a high pulse. She showed signs of sepsis.

According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis is “a serious condition in which the body does not respond properly to an infection.” It can lead to septic shock and death. In a typical year, at least 1.7 million adults in the United States develop sepsis, and nearly 270,000 people die from the infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Crain received two hours of IV fluids and antibiotics, but her condition continued to deteriorate. In addition to strep, she also had a urinary tract infection. However, a nurse checked to see if her baby had a heartbeat so he could be discharged from the hospital with more antibiotics.

“They're bulls—,” Fails said as Crain had to be taken home in a wheelchair because she couldn't walk, according to the outlet.

The next morning, Crain cried in pain to her family and by 9 a.m. she was back in the hospital after bleeding profusely. She suffered a miscarriage.

Medical staff started Crain on intravenous antibiotics and the on-duty gynecologist also reported that she could not detect a fetal heartbeat at the time. Fails told the outlet that half an hour later, she noticed her daughter's thighs were covered in blood.

“Do something,” Fails pleaded with the doctors.

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Texas' near-total abortion ban meant that doctors could do nothing to remove the unviable fetus unless Crain's life was in danger. Either she had to become sick enough for doctors to intervene, or she had to suffer a miscarriage herself.

“Quite often, people say, 'Unless we're absolutely sure that this isn't a normal pregnancy, there's nothing we can do because it could be said that we had an abortion,'” says Dr. Tony Ogburn, an OB-GYN in San Antonio, told ProPublica.

Finally, more than two hours after Crain's arrival at the hospital, doctors performed a second ultrasound to “confirm fetal death.” At the time, Crain was unable to sign consent forms due to “extreme pain,” so Fails quickly signed a release to allow her daughter to undergo an “unplanned dilation and curettage” or “unplanned cesarean section.”

However, doctors decided it was now too dangerous to perform the procedure, according to medical records obtained by the outlet. They suspected she had internal bleeding after developing a dangerous sepsis complication called disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Fails remembered her daughter sitting in the hospital bed, black blood running from her mouth and nostrils, telling her, “You are strong, Nevaeh. God has made us strong.”

Crain died hours later in the intensive care unit.

ProPublica reviewed more than 800 pages of Crain's medical records and consulted medical experts who said the teen might have survived if she had received proper care.

Since her death, Fails has taken legal action to hold hospitals accountable. However, Texas law requires plaintiffs in emergency care cases to prove “willful and wanton negligence” on the part of hospitals, and she reportedly couldn't find an attorney to take her case.