Kamala Harris Links Georgia Woman's Death to Abortion Ban, Criticizes Trump

September 19 :
Accusing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris said on September 17 that a Georgia woman's death could have been avoided if the state had not had an abortion restriction. The investigative news outlet ProPublica reported on September 16 that two women in Georgia have tragically passed away due to a lack of access to medical treatment for abortion in their state.

In August 2022, 28-year-old Amber Nicole Thurman passed away due to complications resulting from an abortion pill. According to the news outlet, Thurman "suffered from a grave infection that her suburban Atlanta hospital was well-equipped to treat," citing reports from a state commission that deemed Thurman's death as "preventable."

"This young mother should be alive, raising her son, and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school," stated Harris, the Democratic contender for president on November 5th. "This is exactly what we feared when Roe was struck down," she pointed out. "These are the consequences of Donald Trump’s actions."

In keeping with a campaign pledge he made in 2016, Trump appointed three judges to the Supreme Court who reversed the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion. Thirteen states in the United States have enacted legislation restricting or outright prohibiting abortion since the 2022 ruling. One of these states is Georgia.

The mother's life, rape, and incest are all protected under Georgia law, and President Trump has always backed these exceptions. "With those exceptions in place, it's unclear why doctors did not swiftly act to protect Amber Thurman's life," said Karoline Leavitt, communications secretary for the Trump campaign.

Even with such restrictions, Trump has stated that he thinks the decision of abortion rights should be made by the states. The state committee that investigated Thurman's death found that it could have been avoided, according to ProPublica. It stated that Thurman's treatment was unanswered by the doctors and a nurse who were concerned in her care.

Multiple complaints have been filed against hospitals and doctors, claiming that they are refusing to treat women for pregnancy issues, as a result of the Supreme Court decision and related state abortion regulations.

Legal actions have been taken by women in Texas, Idaho, Tennessee, and Oklahoma alleging that they were denied abortions despite experiencing dangerous ectopic pregnancies, and by women in Texas who have requested that local hospitals be investigated by U.S. health authorities for this reason