LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas mother says the medical team she trusted with her pregnancy told her not once, but twice, that her baby had no heartbeat and that her pregnancy was over.
Believing what she was told, she agreed to a surgical abortion procedure. But she later learned the pregnancy was still viable, and her baby survived.
Stacy Norris is now speaking publicly about what happened, describing the procedures she underwent, the medication she was prescribed and the moment she says she discovered her baby was still alive.
Warning: Some details in this story may be difficult for anyone who has experienced pregnancy loss.
WATCH | Stacy Norris shares her story with Alyssa Bethencourt
A hopeful beginning
Norris says learning she was pregnant again felt like hope after experiencing a prior miscarriage. She sought care from a new medical team at Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada, believing this pregnancy might have a different outcome.
But according to a lawsuit filed in Clark County, that hope quickly turned into fear.
22.10.04 Norris EFILED COMP Complaint by aroberts.news
Norris says she was told during two early visits that no fetal heartbeat could be detected. The lawsuit alleges that although ultrasounds showed early signs of pregnancy and hormone levels were rising, those results were not properly tracked or compared over time.
“They said it might be a little early. We don’t see a heartbeat. Come back next week,” Norris recalled.
Medical records documented that the pregnancy had not progressed, describing it as a “missed abortion,” according to the complaint.
Norris says she was given three options: wait, take medication or undergo a D&C, a surgical procedure that removes tissue from the uterus. Believing the pregnancy was no longer viable based on what she had been told, she agreed to the procedure.
“We just wanted to make sure everything was going to go right before we told anybody,” Norris said. “It’s incredibly traumatic. You know you kind of just go, this was it…this was probably the last chance to have a baby."
The complaint identifies Dr. Sheldon Paul as the physician who performed the D&C.
A frightening discovery
Days later, Norris says something didn’t feel right.
“It had crossed my mind that something might have not gone right," she said.
She returned to Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada. According to the lawsuit, another provider, identified as Wagner, prescribed Cytotec, a drug used to induce abortion.
Before filling the prescription, Norris says she decided to stop at Centennial Hills Hospital.
"I don't know if it was just a gut instinct, maternal instinct," Norris said.
At the hospital, blood work showed her pregnancy hormone levels had surged to nearly 97,000 — levels consistent with a healthy, growing pregnancy. Additional exams confirmed what she said she was told next.
“He (the doctor) kneels down next to me in the chair, and he says, 'You know, I have to know, Why did you have a D&C?' and I went, 'It’s because I was told there was no baby,'" Norris said. "And he said there’s an eight-week-old baby with a heartbeat, and at that point, I don’t remember what happened next. I just could not believe it.”
State investigation and discipline
The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners later investigated the care Norris received.
Disciplinary records state Dr. Paul performed a D&C on a viable pregnancy, documented it as failed, and continued diagnosing the pregnancy as nonviable.
Complaint - Sheldon Paul, MD - Case No 23-11328-1 by aroberts.news
Documents show Dr. Paul was later sanctioned, receiving a public reprimand, a fine and required coursework related to his care of the same patient.
“There’s that guilt that sets in," Norris said. "You’re just going, what did I do?”
A child survives
Despite undergoing a surgical procedure after being told the pregnancy was not viable, and despite being prescribed medication intended to end the pregnancy, Norris’ baby survived.
“We called her our miracle baby. I don’t have another word for it," she said.
Norris delivered by C-section at 35 weeks. Her daughter is now three-and-a-half years old.
According to a source, the civil case was later settled shortly after opening statements at trial. In court filings, the defendants denied any wrongdoing.
Women’s Health Associates of Southern Nevada says it cannot discuss patient details due to privacy laws, but notes the state board’s disciplinary decision is public record. The practice says Dr. Paul now works primarily in an administrative role and that care is individualized.
“If this happened to me, it’s happening to women all the time. I want them held accountable," Norris said.
For now, Norris says her focus remains on the daughter she once believed she had lost.
“She is everything that I wanted in a baby I didn’t think I was going to have, and I feel blessed every day and try and let her know every day how lucky I am," she said.
The full response Channel 13 received from WHASN about this case is included below:
"Thank you for reaching out and showing interest in WHASN’s perspective on this case. I am happy to be as transparent as possible, though due to patient privacy laws, I cannot discuss details of the case. I have included your four questions below along with my responses, to the extent that I can answer them.
- The disciplinary action and settlement involving Dr. Paul before the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners.
- Nevada State Board of Medical Examiner’s disciplinary decisions are public record and are available on its website. I have copied the Board’s decision on 3/1/2024 below:
i. On March 1, 2024, the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners (Board) accepted and approved a Settlement Agreement which allowed for an order to be entered finding that Dr. Paul violated NRS 630.301(4) and NRS 630.306(1)(b)(2), as set forth in Counts I and IV of the Complaint, and ordered the following: Dr. Paul shall receive a public reprimand; pay a fine in the amount of $7,500; complete 10 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME), in addition to his statutory CME requirements for licensure; and reimburse the Board’s fees and costs incurred in the investigation and prosecution of the case. Counts II and III of the Complaint were dismissed with prejudice.
- The civil lawsuit filed against WHASN and several providers in connection with the same patient.
- Due to patient privacy laws, I can neither confirm nor deny the involvement of WHASN providers in the care of a patient.
- Whether Dr. Paul is currently practicing at WHASN and, if so, in what capacity.
- Dr. Paul is currently involved with WHASN in mainly an administrative role. This is due to his own personal career decisions and is unrelated to any civil proceedings.
- Whether WHASN has implemented any policy or procedural changes related to these matters.
- Every patient is unique and requires the care appropriate to their individual clinical scenario. For this reason, WHASN has no policies or procedures guiding the clinical practice of medicine."