In Case No. 44,823-2021 the plaintiffs, representing themselves and their minor children, filed a lawsuit against Hospital San José for inadequate medical care that led to the death of a woman on February 10, 2012, following an untreated incomplete abortion. The Second Civil Court of Santiago awarded 50,000,000 Chilean pesos in moral damages to each plaintiff. The Santiago Court of Appeals overturned the ruling and dismissed the claim.
Here, in a unanimous judgment, the Court of Appeal reversed a decision by the High Court to dismiss a medical negligence claim raised by a woman who underwent a surgical procedure for the removal of her womb and experienced the leaking of urine after the procedure. Appellant had sought damages from medical negligence and lack of proper post-operative care. The Court’s holding clarifies the law on prescription and medical negligence, which are a prominent method through which women try to access the courts when their reproductive health rights are violated.
The claimant underwent an exploratory surgery at age 21 to assess the cause of abdominal pain associated with bleeding. During that surgery the doctor removed her womb and left ovary without her consent or a second opinion.
