US presidential hopeful Kamala Harris has this week blamed the death of a US mother on “Trump abortion bans”.
The vice president, who has vowed to protect abortion rights across the nation, pointed to the unravelling of Roe vs. Wade under the leadership of Republican Donald Trump.
It comes more than two years after 28-year-old Amber Nicole Thurman died in what experts concluded was an entirely “preventable” death.
“This young mother should be alive, raising her son, and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school,” Ms Harris said in a statement on Tuesday (September 17) about Thurman.
“This is exactly what we feared when Roe was struck down. In more than 20 states, Trump Abortion Bans are preventing doctors from providing basic medical care.”
“Women are bleeding out in parking lots, turned away from emergency rooms, losing their ability to ever have children again,” she continued. “Survivors of rape and incest are being told they cannot make decisions about what happens next to their bodies.
“And now women are dying. These are the consequences of Donald Trump’s actions.”
Thurman left behind a six-year-old son when she died, despite being in a hospital that was entirely equipped to help her through the medical procedure.
It’s believed to be the first time a person has died in Georgia due to postponed abortion care, largely tied to the new anti-abortion laws sweeping most Republican-led states.
With abortion likely set to be a big topic in the run-up to the US election, here’s why this woman’s tragic story matters.
Who was Amber Nicole Thurman?
Amber Nicole Thurman was a young mother who planned to attend nursing school.
She was living in Georgia, a state that had enacted archaic abortion restrictions following the reversal of Roe vs. Wade by the heavily Trump-appointed Supreme Court.
She died in 2022 after she failed to receive life-saving medical care surrounding her abortion.
What happened to Amber Nicole Thurman?
In the summer of 2022, Thurman discovered she was pregnant with twins.
Preparing for nursing school and looking after her son, she reportedly chose to end her pregnancy to pursue her dreams and maintain her stability.
Unfortunately, her pregnancy reportedly passed the six-week mark on the same day that the state of Georgia enacted a ban banning abortion after six weeks gestation.
She drove four hours to the neighbouring state of North Carolina to get the pregnancy-ending pills but suffered a rare complication a few days later from fetal tissue left in her body.
In such cases, patients need a routine procedure called dilation and curettage (D&C), but this became a felony in most cases in Georgia due to abortion laws.
According to Pro Publica, Thurman’s partner rushed her to hospital after she started vomiting blood, where she was diagnosed with “acute severe sepsis” the following morning.
Her condition continued to worsen, but medics failed to carry out the procedure that Thurman needed until it was too late. Her heart stopped on the operating table after surgeons performed a D&C and a hysterectomy.
It remains unclear why medics failed to administer the newly outlawed D&C earlier, but it points to uncertainties surrounding the reading and interpretation of abortion laws.
“There is a “good chance” providing a D&C earlier could have prevented Amber Thurman’s death,” the Pro Publica investigation found.
What are abortion rules in the US?
Two years after Thurman’s death, abortion rights in the US continue to be a highly contested topic. In some states, women are reportedly being turned away and denied abortion care.
Studies have found states which have abortion bans may have higher levels of infant deaths. Experts suggest Thurman won’t be the only woman to die because of such health risks.
Decmoractic candidate Ms Harris has long advocated abortion rights, while Mr Trump has claimed that the public wanted abortion to be a state issue. His appointment of three Conservative-leaning Supreme Court justices led to the upheaval of America’s abortion rights.
Advocates are now voicing demands for an end to Georgia’s restrictive abortion ban.
“We cannot allow Amber’s death to be in vain. It is time for us to take action. We call on every person who believes in the right to safe, accessible healthcare to stand with us. Contact your local representatives and demand they repeal Georgia’s abortion ban, which is killing our loved ones.” said Danielle Rodriguez, SisterSong’s Georgia coordinator.
SisterSong is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to advancing reproductive justice by advocating the rights of women of colour and marginalised communities to access safe and affordable reproductive health care.
