Couple sues Planned Parenthood for $765K in child support to help raise son after a failed abortion

An Idaho couple has filed a lawsuit seeking $765,000 in compensation from Planned Parenthood after a failed abortion, the Albuquerque Journal reported.

Biana Coons and her partner, Christobal Ruiz, traveled 700 miles to a Planned Parenthood in Albuquerque to receive the abortion pill, which failed to terminate the woman's pregnancy. Months later, she gave birth to their son who is now 2.

Now, the couple, who already had two children, has claimed that they were "deceived" by the organization. Earlier this month, they filed a lawsuit seeking $765,000 for the unexpected cost of raising "an additional unplanned child," the Journal reported.

The lawsuit states that they are seeking damages for breach of contract, unfair trade practices, violation of consumer protection laws, emotional distress, and other claims.

What's the story?

Coons was reportedly about six weeks pregnant when the couple made the February 2016 trek to New Mexico to seek an abortion. They supposedly traveled there to avoid Idaho's mandatory waiting period, which would have resulted in the "baby being much more advanced in development," according to the lawsuit. Idaho's mandatory waiting period is 24 hours.

Planned Parenthood provided the initial round of medication at the clinic and Coons was instructed to take a second round at a later time.

The abortion pill is offered up until 10 weeks of pregnancy, according to Planned Parenthood's website.

The couple returned home, but the next day Coons ended up in the emergency room with severe nausea and dehydration. While there, she learned that the baby was well and had a strong heartbeat. According to Coons' attorney, she had already taken the second round of medication before she arrived at the hospital.

Days later, the woman contacted Planned Parenthood about receiving another round of abortion medication. She was informed that she would need to go back to the clinic in New Mexico for another procedure at no cost or she could pay for additional procedures in Idaho.

"You will need to follow up within 1-2 weeks to make sure your abortion is complete and that you are well," the Planned Parenthood website states. "In the unlikely event that you are still pregnant, you may need another dose of medication or to have an in-clinic abortion to end the pregnancy."

The couple claims that they were deceived into believing that they could initiate services in New Mexico and continue access in Idaho at no additional charge.

By early March, Coons was still pregnant and, according to the lawsuit, she could not afford "a second round of the abortion protocol."

"The fetus had now developed to somewhere around nine weeks. Ms. Coons could not morally sanction further action to terminate the fetus," the lawsuit reportedly said.

Was the baby OK?

In August 2016, Coons delivered the couple's son about a month early. He was reportedly born with "jaundice and blood sugar issues."

As a result, the couple fears that the boy could carry "a defect or injury into adulthood."

What did Planned Parenthood say?

A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood told the Journal that she could not comment on pending litigation and that she couldn't discuss specific patients due to patient privacy laws.

What else?

The abortion pill works about 94 to 98 percent of the time in women who are fewer than 8 weeks pregnant, according to Planned Parenthood.