A 14-year-old girl was denied a refill of methotrexate for her rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis because of Arizona’s new abortion law.
Emma Thompson, who lives in Tuscon, has relied on the life-saving prescription drug for years, but is now being denied methotrexate because is also used to end ectopic pregnancies (life-threatening for pregnant females).
Thompson’s mother Kaitlin Preble told KOLD has she was outraged over this denial of health care for her daughter:
As a mother who has had to deal with my child being very ill most of her life, I was scared, I was really worried. I was shaking. I was in tears. I didn’t know what to do.
It’s her first year and she’s in high school and it feels like a dream. She’s not in a wheelchair, she has a social life and friends for the first time and a life all young people should have.
The girl’s physician, Dr. Deborah Jane Power, was also shocked:
This child’s care has taken a lot of work to get her to a place her pain is totally manageable, she can attend school in person.
(Sources: KOLD, GMA/YouTube)