Sexual abuse survivor sues Fresno’s Saint Agnes Medical Center for trauma during procedure
A Clovis woman who is a sexual abuse survivor is suing Saint Agnes Medical Center and four of its nurses for traumatizing her during a medical procedure.
Abigail Unruh, 25, had just gone through a routine treatment for a bladder issue on June 7, 2021, when she began experiencing significant pain, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Fresno County Superior Court.
Her doctor and an anesthesiologist ordered pain medicine for her at about 2:30 p.m. but it did not provide enough relief. A few hours later, the doctor came back to check on Unruh, who was still in pain. He recommended a urinary catheter and or a spinal epidural to help ease her discomfort.
Unruh objected to the epidural and told the doctor she would only agree to the catheter if she was sedated. The doctor directed one of the nurses in the room to try and find the anesthesiologist so she could arrange some sedation.
But once the doctor left, the nurse told Unruh, according to the lawsuit, that she had “enough medication” and they were going to insert the catheter without any additional sedation.
Unruh began to cry and asked someone to hold her hand. One of the other nurses held Unruh’s hand, while a third nurse tried to hold Unruh’s legs open as they tried unsuccessfully to insert the catheter.
A fourth nurse then came into the room. So with one nurse holding one leg open and another nurse holding the other, the catheter was inserted, without Unruh’s consent, the lawsuit states.
“Plaintiff (Unruh) throughout this ordeal was pleading, crying in pain and kept stating that she could not undergo the catheterization. The response to Plaintiff by one or more of the nurses was something to the effect “we are going to get this done,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiff tearfully blurted out to them that she was a sexual assault survivor and she had to have sedation or some other accommodation for this type of invasive medical procedure.”
Unruh’s lawyer Monrae English said her client endured horrific childhood abuse that went on for years when she was a minor.
Unruh told the nurses that the procedure triggered memories of being given a sexual assault forensic exam. She repeatedly told them no and that they were traumatizing her.
“Unbelievably, plaintiff was told: Just spread your legs and relax,” the lawsuit states.
Saint Agnes Medical Center officials could not be reached for comment Friday.
Unruh said in an interview Friday that being a survivor of sexual abuse is something that stays with you forever. She’s received therapy for nearly a decade and while she is proud of the healing she’s been able to accomplish, the “effects of the abuse remain with you, forever a thread woven into your tapestry.”
Unruh adds that medical professionals must do a better job of listening to their patients, including those who have suffered sexual trauma.
“Even if I hadn’t come into Saint Agnes as a sexual assault survivor, for all intents and purposes I would have left feeling like one,” she said. “Listen to your patients, really listen. It doesn’t matter if your intention is to help. If your actions silence your patient’s voice, you will traumatize them.”
Unruh’s attorney, English, is seeking financial damages for medical negligence, medical battery, lack of informed consent and physical abuse.
“Our society has done away with a paternalistic, unilateral “my way or the highway” approach by medical providers. In this day and time, patients have a right to careful, considerate and individualized medical care,“ English said in an interview. “Unfortunately for Ms. Unruh, Saint Agnes failed to respect this most fundamental right to self-determination.”
