Ectopic pregnancy deaths have nearly doubled. It’s worse in states with abortion bans.

A ProPublica analysis found nearly 200 women died from ectopic pregnancy complications between 2020 and 2025, compared to about 100 in the prior six years, a rise maternal health experts call baffling given that prompt treatment should make such deaths a ‘never event.’ Ectopic pregnancies, which cannot become viable births, require termination to prevent fatal rupture, and the increase has been steeper in states that banned abortion after the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Lawsuits and federal complaints describe patients turned away or delayed by providers fearing criminal liability, including Kyleigh Thurman in Texas, whose fallopian tube ruptured after two emergency departments failed to properly screen or treat her, and Leitaea Lowrimore in Oklahoma, denied treatment at multiple hospitals. Regulators found one of Thurman's hospitals violated its own policy and federal law by failing to call in an OB-GYN despite clear signs of ectopic pregnancy; the hospital system denies malpractice while saying it treats such conditions when medically indicated.

Experts caution abortion bans alone cannot explain the full national rise, and note early pregnancy complications remain chronically underresearched, but say any investigation must account for documented care delays tied to the laws. Anti-abortion groups have pointed to telehealth abortion pill access as a possible factor, though studies cited in the piece show ectopic rates are lower, not higher, among people who use medication abortion.

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