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Lauren Thompson Miller

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Lauren Thompson Miller
Born
Lauren Thompson

1987
Houston, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationThe Kinkaid School
Alma materCollege of William & Mary; Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business
Occupation(s)Businesswoman, diarist, activist
Known forPlaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas

Lauren Thompson Miller (née Thompson; born 1987) is an American businesswoman, diarist, and activist.[1] She is known for her role in suing the state of Texas after she suffered life-threatening risks during her second pregnancy after being denied an abortion in the case of Zurawski v. State of Texas.[2] Miller has been the subject of many documentaries on abortion in America and was one of 18 women featured on "Impact by Nightline: On the Brink".[3]

Early life and education

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Miller was born in Houston, Texas and attended The Kinkaid School.

She attended The College of William and Mary and later attended Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, graduating in 2014.

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Main article: Zurawski v. State of Texas

In August 2022, at eight weeks pregnant with twins, Miller was hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum. A month later, she was informed that one twin had two cystic hygromas, Trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome), a single artery umbilical cord, heart abnormalities, and an abdominal wall defect.[4] Despite the fatal prognosis for one twin, Texas' near-total abortion ban, enacted after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, prevented Miller from receiving an abortion.[5][6]

Three days after being denied the procedure, Miller was again hospitalized with severe vomiting and lab results indicating life-threatening conditions, including risk of kidney failure, coma, cerebral edema (brain swelling), heart attack, and death. Nevertheless, doctors still deemed her not close enough to death to legally perform an abortion under Texas law.[7]

Unable to access an abortion in Texas, Miller traveled to Colorado to undergo a selective reduction.[8][9] Her condition improved afterward, though she did not regain her pre-pregnancy weight until 29 weeks gestation.[10][11]

On March 6, 2023, while visibly pregnant, Miller spoke outside the Texas State Capitol alongside Amanda Zurawski, and the Center for Reproductive Rights in a press conference after filing a lawsuit against the State of Texas, seeking clarification for medical exceptions to abortion bans.[12][13]

The New York Times reported that the case was the first time a pregnant woman took legal action against an abortion ban since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 in the decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.[14][15]

In May 2023, Miller's OB/GYN, Dr. Austin Dennard, joined the lawsuit alongside seven other new plaintiffs. The state attempted to dismiss the case, claiming the plaintiffs had no standing because the injuries had occurred in the past and that they "suffered no injury." In Miller's case, Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that her life was not sufficiently threatened.

A judge ruled in favor of the women in July 2023, saying women who have a medically complicated pregnancy are exempt from the abortion ban, and doctors who perform them won't be prosecuted. Paxton immediately appealed the ruling, so the near-total abortion ban remained in effect.[16][17]

In May 2024, the Texas Supreme Court rejected the plaintiffs' legal challenge. Miller expressed disbelief at the ruling, which largely ignored the plaintiffs and only mentioned the Center for Reproductive Rights, Amanda Zurawski, and one doctor.[18]

Miller’s story and the case were among those featured in the ABC News Studios documentary "On the Brink" with Diane Sawyer and Rachel Scott, which won an Emmy award for "Outstanding Health or Medical Coverage".[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Noor, Poppy (2023-06-19). "Days of desperation: the diary of a woman forced to flee Texas for an abortion". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  2. ^ Simmons-Duffin, Selena (2023-02-28). "To safeguard healthy twin in utero, she had to 'escape' Texas for abortion procedure". NPR. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  3. ^ a b "Meet 18 women who shared heartbreaking pregnancy journeys in post-Roe world". ABC News. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  4. ^ Scott, Rachel; Ng, Christina; El-Bawab, Nadine; Lang, Sarah; Johnson, Camisha; Coburn, Laura. "Patient, doctor suing state of Texas say they were forced to travel elsewhere to get abortions". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  5. ^ Klibanoff, By Eleanor (2023-06-23). "A year after Dobbs decision, Texas has settled in to a post-abortion reality". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  6. ^ Simmons-Duffin, Selena (2023-08-08). "What just happened when Texas' abortion bans briefly lifted — and what comes next". NPR. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  7. ^ Miller, Lauren (2023-03-07). "To save one of my twins, I needed an abortion. My Texas doctors couldn't help. (Opinion)". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  8. ^ Hindi, Saja (2023-03-16). "She risked coming to Colorado for an abortion. Now she wants to protect others from Texas "bounty hunters."". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  9. ^ Shutt, Jennifer (2024-06-13). "State abortion bans forcing interstate travel, U.S. Senate panel hears • NC Newsline". NC Newsline. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  10. ^ "A Woman Wanted an Abortion to Save One of Her Twins. She Had to Travel 1,000 Miles". VICE. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  11. ^ Simmons-Duffin, Selena (2023-07-04). "In post-Roe Texas, 2 mothers with traumatic pregnancies walk very different paths". NPR. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  12. ^ Minutaglio, Rose (2024-04-10). "The Danger of Being Pregnant in Texas". ELLE. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  13. ^ El-Bawab, Nadine. "8 women join suit against Texas over abortion bans, claim their lives were put in danger". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  14. ^ Nadworny, Elissa (2024-06-21). "2 years late how the Dobbs Supreme Court decision changed abortion access". NPR. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  15. ^ Zernike, Kate (2023-03-07). "Five Women Sue Texas Over the State's Abortion Ban". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  16. ^ "Texas appeals order on allowing some women to get abortions". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  17. ^ "Five women sue Texas over abortion access". 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  18. ^ Klibanoff, By Eleanor (2024-05-31). "Texas Supreme Court rejects challenge to abortion laws". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
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