On April 13, 2021, Miranda Anderson was 34 weeks pregnant when she went to Pella Regional Health Center for evaluation of her elevated blood pressure, headaches, and edema. She was transferred by ambulance to MercyOne’s Obstetrics Emergency Unit due to concerns that she was experiencing preeclampsia. Two days later, after monitoring and testing at MercyOne, she was discharged to home. She continued to be medically evaluated over the course of the next several days until on April 21, 2021, her physician was unable to detect a fetal heartbeat. She delivered a nonviable baby girl by C-section the following day.
The Idaho medical malpractice lawsuit alleged that the defendants were negligent in failing to deliver her baby sooner after she showed signs of preeclampsia. Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa (“CHI”) and MercyOne argued that Idaho’s cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases applied because the exemption for claims involving “loss or impairment of mind or body” did not apply to the loss of a fetus or unborn child. The attorneys for CHI and MercyOne argued that “finding an unborn child to be a ‘person’ would lead to serious implications in other areas of the law” and that the plaintiffs’ unborn child should not be considered a “patient” for purposes of calculating damages: “There is no statute or binding case law finding an unborn child to be a ‘patient’ under the law,” citing an Iowa Supreme Court 1971 ruling that “there can be no recovery (of damages) on behalf of, or for, a nonexistent person.”
The defendants’ argument in the Idaho medical malpractice case caused a firestorm of outrage that a Catholic institution would espouse such a position. On April 18, 2025, during a court hearing, the hospital defendants withdrew their motion to limit damages in the case: “We are a Catholic hospital and obviously the Catholic faith believes that life begins at conception.” The judge responded, “To be honest, I had wondered about that stance. It seemed like kind of an odd stance,” in light of the contradictory position CHI had taken in other legal matters.
CHI issued a written statement of April 18, 2025 stating: “we are heartbroken that our belief that human personhood begins at conception would ever be called into question. As a Catholic health system, the sanctity of life is not just a belief we hold; it is the foundation of every action we take. While the motion (to limit damages) was accurate from a purely legal standpoint, it has caused confusion and concern. That is why we have asked our counsel to withdraw the motion with respect to MercyOne. No courtroom argument should ever cast doubt on the deeply held Catholic values that guide MercyOne. At MercyOne, our Catholic identity is not something we set aside. It is central to who we are. It shapes how we serve and care for people in their most sacred and vulnerable moments. We are more than a health system. We are a health ministry. Our commitment to respect the dignity of every human life, from the very beginning, is unwavering. And it will continue to guide us in everything we do.”
If you or your baby suffered a birth injury (or worse) during labor and/or delivery in Idaho or in another U.S. state, you should promptly find an Idaho birth injury attorney, or a birth injury attorney in your state, who may investigate your birth injury claim for you and represent you and your child in a birth injury medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Click on the “Contact Us Now” tab to the right, visit our website, or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find birth injury lawyers in your state who may assist you.
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