A Las Vegas mother says her toddler is living proof that her pregnancy was not over, even after a procedure and medication meant to end it. Stacy Norris says her daughter survived after she underwent a dilation and curettage and was given medication intended to end a pregnancy that staff had told her was nonviable. The child was later delivered by C-section at about 35 weeks and is now three-and-a-half years old, Norris told Channel 13.
State board cites lapses in care
On March 1, 2024, the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners accepted a settlement that, according to the board's public filings, found Dr. Sheldon Paul performed a D&C on a viable pregnancy and then documented the procedure as failed. The order required Dr. Paul to receive a public reprimand, pay a $7,500 fine, and complete 10 hours of additional continuing medical education, according to the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners.
Mother's account and a crucial second opinion
Norris told KTNV she was told at two early visits there was no fetal heartbeat and agreed to a D&C after providers described the pregnancy as a 'missed abortion.' She says days later she went to Centennial Hills Hospital, where blood work showed her pregnancy hormone (hCG) had surged to nearly 97,000, and clinicians detected an eight-week heartbeat, and that the child was ultimately delivered by C-section at about 35 weeks. KTNV reports the civil lawsuit filed in Clark County was settled shortly after opening statement,s and that in court filing, the defendants denied wrongdoing.
Legal and regulatory fallout
The board's public filings list the Settlement Agreement and Order in Case No. 23-11328-1 and show the action was administrative, imposing educational and financial penalties rather than a license suspension. The order cited violations of Nevada medical statutes and is entered on the board's disciplinary list, per the Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners.
Norris told KTNV she wants the episode to be a warning for other patients and that her focus remains on raising her daughter. "We called her our miracle baby," she said, adding she feels "blessed" every day.
