Family Sues Ken Paxton, Alleging Denied Abortion Led to Pregnant Woman's Death
The lawsuit claims Tierra Walker, who died in December 2024, was denied a life-saving abortion due to Texas' strict ban.
The family of Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old San Antonio woman who died in December 2024 at 20 weeks pregnant, has filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other medical providers. The suit alleges that Walker was denied an abortion that could have saved her life, despite suffering from severe pre-eclampsia.
According to the lawsuit, Walker's family repeatedly requested an abortion for her, citing her deteriorating health, including seizures and blood clots. The family claims that medical providers refused to terminate the pregnancy, asserting that doctors were too afraid to act under Texas' stringent abortion ban.
The legal action, filed by Amplify Legal and the Marynell Maloney Law Firm, names the executive director of the Texas Medical Board, the University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, the Bexar County Hospital District, individual doctors, and Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales as defendants. The complaint also challenges the constitutionality of Texas' abortion ban, which carries significant penalties for providers and offers very limited exceptions.
Molly Duane, litigation director of Amplify Legal, stated during a press conference that Walker's case demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the medical emergency exception in Texas' abortion law. "Tierra Walker is proof that there is no exception because if she did not qualify, if even her doctors were too scared to act, then the medical emergency exception is nothing more than words on a page," Duane said.
The lawsuit details Walker's health history, including chronic conditions such as obesity, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a seizure disorder, Type 2 diabetes, and severe asthma. By September 2024, after her health had reportedly improved, Walker experienced multiple seizures and was hospitalized. Doctors discovered she was nearly six weeks pregnant and suffering from elevated blood pressure.
During this hospitalization, Walker reportedly experienced more seizures and significant pain. She was discharged with a blood glucose monitor and instructions for prenatal care. Later, in late October, she was hospitalized again with high blood pressure and a severe blood clot in her left leg. The lawsuit alleges that despite Walker and her family informing hospital staff of the life-threatening risks associated with continuing the pregnancy, medical personnel focused on the baby's health and refused to offer abortion as a treatment.
Following a thrombectomy to address the clot, Walker's symptoms persisted. After subsequent hospital visits and regular prenatal appointments, she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia on December 27, 2024. Her condition rapidly worsened, and she was found unresponsive at home by her son on December 30.
LaTanya Walker, Tierra Walker's aunt and the lead plaintiff, expressed grief over her niece's death, highlighting the impact on their family holidays. "It's horrible that she's gone and she was taken from us this way," she said.
Representatives for Attorney General Ken Paxton and District Attorney Joe Gonzales did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The University of Texas at San Antonio Health Science Center, the Texas Medical Board, and University Health (Bexar County Health District) stated they could not comment on pending litigation or patient care information without authorization. University Health issued a general statement noting that patient care decisions are based on clinical conditions, medical standards, and legal requirements, and that concerns are reviewed through internal processes.