Propped up on a gurney in the recovery room of a Phoenix abortion clinic, Lou Anne Herron was slowly bleeding to death.

The 33-year-old mother of two had gone to the A-Z Women’s Center on April 17, 1998, seeking to end an unwanted pregnancy. She complained of numbness in her legs and pleaded with clinic workers for help. They assured her that she was fine, despite the blood soaking the sheets beneath her.