Vice President Kamala Harris has sharply criticized Georgia's stringent abortion laws, following a harrowing report that links these laws to the preventable death of 28-year-old Amber Thurmond. The case has reignited national debate over abortion rights and the potential dangers posed by restrictive legislation.
In August 2022, Amber Thurmond, a mother and medical assistant, sought medical help at Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge, Georgia, after suffering severe complications from an abortion pill she had taken days earlier. Thurmond had initially traveled to North Carolina to obtain the medication due to Georgia's ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy-a law enacted following the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade.
The abortion pill, mifepristone, along with misoprostol, typically ends early pregnancies, but in rare cases, not all fetal tissue is expelled from the uterus. This was the complication Thurmond faced, leading to a serious infection. As her condition deteriorated, doctors at Piedmont Henry Hospital hesitated to perform a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure, a standard treatment to remove remaining tissue, due to concerns over the state's abortion laws.
The delay proved fatal. According to a report by ProPublica, doctors waited 20 hours before performing the procedure, during which time Thurmond's blood pressure plummeted, and her organs began to fail. She died soon after, and a subsequent investigation by a state committee concluded that her death was preventable. The report marks Thurmond's case as the first known "preventable" death linked to abortion restrictions in Georgia.
Amber Thurman was 28 years old. She loved being a mom to her six-year-old boy.
Her last words to her own mother: "“Promise me you’ll take care of my son.”
Her son will grow up without his mom because of Donald Trump's Dobbs' decision and Georgia's MAGA abortion ban. pic.twitter.com/TTp2bO7gX1 — Leah Greenberg (@Leahgreenb) September 17, 2024
Reacting to the report, Vice President Harris released a statement condemning the implications of such restrictive laws. "This young mother should be alive, raising her son, and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school," Harris said. "This is exactly what we feared when Roe was struck down. These are the consequences of Donald Trump's actions."
Harris's remarks also point to the broader political landscape, where the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has led to a patchwork of restrictive abortion laws across the country. Georgia's law, often referred to as the "heartbeat" law, prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks into pregnancy-before many women even know they are pregnant.
Former President Donald Trump, who appointed three of the justices responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade, has defended his role in reshaping the Supreme Court but has remained largely silent on the specific circumstances of Thurmond's death. Trump's campaign has reiterated his position that abortion laws should be decided by individual states and should include exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. However, in this case, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt questioned why the doctors did not act more swiftly to protect Thurmond's life, given these exceptions.
Thurmond's case has further intensified the scrutiny of how such laws are applied and the chilling effect they may have on medical professionals. Reports have surfaced from across the country of doctors hesitating to perform necessary procedures for fear of legal repercussions. This hesitation can lead to delays that, as seen in Thurmond's case, can have deadly consequences.
In Texas, women have asked federal health authorities to investigate hospitals that have denied them abortions for life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, and similar lawsuits have been filed in Idaho, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. These cases underscore the growing conflict between state laws and the medical ethics that guide healthcare professionals.
"We actually have the substantiated proof of something we already knew-that abortion bans kill people," said Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All, in response to the ProPublica report. "It cannot go on."
Despite these assurances, the reality on the ground appears to be far more complex. Medical professionals in states with restrictive abortion laws often find themselves navigating legal uncertainties and fearing potential repercussions, leading to delayed or denied care for patients like Thurmond.
