Your OB can get you jailed for a miscarriage and there’s not much you can do about it

https://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/your-ob-can-get-you-jailed-for-a-miscarriage-and-theres-not-much-you-can-do-about-it/

Purvi Patel was sentenced today for having a premature delivery that ended in stillbirth. She was given 20 years in jail, 10 years suspended, and 5 years probation for neglect and 6 years for the feticide conviction that will run concurrently.

For those unfamiliar with the case Ms. Patel received no prenatal care and was an unknown gestational age when she delivered at home. She thought she had delivered very prematurely and that the baby was stillborn. Not knowing what to do, ill from bleeding, and psychologically affected from delivering unassisted in her bathroom she deposited what she thought was a pre-viable stillbirth in the trash.

Ms. Patel continued bleeding and so sought care at the hospital and what happened next should frighten everyone. After determining she had been pregnant the medical staff called the police and one of the OB/GYNs, Dr. McGuire, abandoned her to search with the police. Because that’s what doctors do, leave patients and play junior CSI. When the body was found Dr. McGuire told the officers he believed the fetus was 30 weeks, even though he had no qualification to make that determination. These actions starting the ball rolling as a potential homicide.