Sacramento, Calif. The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) filed a complaint against Providence St. Joseph Hospital and controlling parent entities on behalf of Dr. Anna Nusslock DC, who was illegally denied emergency abortion care despite facing an immediate threat to her life and health.
The complaint requests monetary damages for the harm Dr. Nusslock suffered after the hospital refused to treat her while experiencing a miscarriage of her twin daughters. It also seeks to prohibit St. Joseph Health of Northern California, LLC, which manages the Eureka, California hospital, and its parent companies, St. Joseph Health System and Providence St. Joseph Health, from denying anyone else treatment under similar circumstances.
“My life was at risk when I went to Providence, but they refused to provide care due to their religious policies,” said Dr. Nusslock. “Since that experience, my health has continued to deteriorate. Still, I’m fighting for myself and others who could face this nightmare. No one should be denied life-saving medical care.”
“We will hold Providence accountable for abandoning Anna in her time of need. Hospitals cannot be allowed to pick and choose which emergencies they treat based on ideology. Our goal is to ensure that every pregnant patient can access the emergency care they need and to prevent tragedies like this from happening again,” said K. M. Bell, senior counsel at NWLC.
California hospitals are required by state law to provide emergency medical care, including abortion, when a patient is in danger of loss of life or serious injury or illness. Failing to do so based on a protected class, such as sex, which includes pregnancy-related conditions, also violates state nondiscrimination laws. In addition, hospitals across the country are required by the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) to provide abortion care in emergencies.
This case follows legal action by the California Attorney General’s office, which sued St. Joseph Health of Northern California, LLC in September 2024 based on its failure to care for Anna.
The National Women’s Law Center fights for gender justice—in the courts, in public policy, and in our society—working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. We use the law in all its forms to change culture and drive solutions to the gender inequity that shapes our society and to break down the barriers that harm all of us—especially women of color, LGBTQ people, and low-income women and families. For 50 years, we have been on the leading edge of every major legal and policy victory for women. www.nwlc.org