Following the death of a young Georgia mother, Vice President Kamala Harris linked the tragedy to the actions of former President Donald Trump, specifically his Supreme Court appointments that led to the reversal of national abortion rights. This case has reignited the contentious debates surrounding abortion access and healthcare policies across the United States.
Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old from Georgia, tragically lost her life in August 2022 due to complications that arose from taking an abortion pill. Reports indicate that Thurman was made to wait for treatment for 20 hours at a suburban hospital in Atlanta, Georgia before she succumbed to a severe infection. Her death came on the heels of Georgia implementing strict abortion limits, a move made possible by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade just two weeks prior.
Harris stated, “This young mother should be alive, raising her son, and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school. This is exactly what we feared when Roe was struck down. These are the consequences of Donald Trump’s actions.”
The Vice President pointed out the grave repercussions of limited access to abortion, stating that dire circumstances are unfolding, with women “bleeding out in parking lots” after being turned away from emergency rooms and some losing their fertility. She also brought attention to the plight of rape and incest survivors, who are now being denied autonomy over their bodies, and the resulting loss of women’s lives due to these policies.
The Trump campaign responded to the allegations by shifting the blame onto the hospital for its failure to provide life-saving care. Karoline Leavitt, the campaign press secretary, underscored that Trump has consistently backed exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and when a mother’s life is at risk, provisions included in Georgia’s law. Given these exceptions, she questioned why immediate action wasn’t taken by the doctors to safeguard Amber Thurman’s life.
Thurman’s case is presently under review by Georgia’s maternal mortality commission. According to investigative news outlet ProPublica, an official state committee has determined that her death could have been avoided. The federal government has not blamed the suburban Atlanta hospital, which reportedly delayed her treatment, for failing to deliver vital care to a pregnant patient, based on a review of federal documents over the past two years.
As per the federal government’s findings, several pregnant women have been unlawfully turned away from emergency rooms, with an upsurge in such cases in states with stringent abortion bans like Texas and Missouri. Media reports have revealed instances of women being forced to miscarry in public bathrooms or wait for treatment in their vehicles, or being directed by doctors to seek care elsewhere. Some women have suffered infections or lost parts of their reproductive system due to hospitals in states with abortion bans delaying emergency abortions.
The Supreme Court ruling and ensuing state abortion laws have led to a spate of complaints against hospitals and medical practitioners, accusing them of denying treatment for pregnancy complications. Women in Texas have petitioned U.S. health authorities to probe local hospitals for refusing them abortions for high-risk ectopic pregnancies. Likewise, women in Idaho, Tennessee, and Oklahoma have lodged lawsuits claiming they were denied abortions in spite of facing life-threatening pregnancy complications.
Democrats and advocates of abortion rights have utilized Thurman’s case to argue that women’s health is being adversely affected by strict abortion bans. However, anti-abortion proponents have disputed these claims, calling them misinformation.
Abortion access remains a pivotal issue in U.S. politics. Since the Supreme Court’s decision in 2022, approximately a dozen U.S. states, including Georgia, have enacted laws drastically curtailing abortion rights.
With the presidential election slated for November 5, 2024, the issue of abortion rights is set to remain a major topic of political conversation. Vice President Harris has unequivocally signaled that she views the safeguarding of abortion rights as a key campaign issue. The ongoing discussions around cases like Thurman’s highlight the intricate and contentious nature of U.S. abortion policy.
