AP analysis shows pregnant women in medical distress are turned away from ERs

By Amanda Seitz, Eric Gay and Kendria LaFleur

As part of her ongoing reporting on the impact of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Washington-based health policy writer Amanda Seitz accessed detailed records of investigations of hospitals accused of violating a federal law requiring access to emergency treatment. Among those records, 100 involved pregnant women who sought treatment but were denied care. 

While analyzing the data, she tapped a source that led her to an exclusive interview with a woman who was willing to tell her harrowing story about being turned away from an ER even though she was bleeding and in pain from an ectopic pregnancy. 

Eric Gay took portraits and Kendria LaFleur filmed the recounting of her story. Karena Phan developed a social media-audience engagement plan. Seitz and Jennifer Lehman created a “Localize It,” and Seitz and Angel Kastanis put together a spreadsheet that was distributed to AP members to help them identify cases in their own communities. David Wilkison and Jim Clarke from the Revenue Team provided early access to key AP members about complaints in their areas.

The story was played on about 10 front pages across the country and, on a busy news day, was No. 4 in top stories on apnews.com and the app. It continued to resonate and gain audience more than 48 hours after it first moved. 

Seitz’s analysis was cited on NBC Nightly News, and she was asked by other media to do interviews. Several women who read the story contacted Seitz to tell their own experiences of being turned away from ERs while pregnant, including one who now wants to file a federal complaint.

The judges were impressed by Seitz’s push to get access to the data, and her analysis. Also, that she was able to find a woman who was willing to share such a private and vulnerable story in an era when women’s reproductive rights are a controversial subject. For all of this, Amanda, Eric and Kendria earn this week’s Best of AP — Second Winner.

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