Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit Georgia this Friday to address the issue of women's reproductive rights. This comes in the wake of a recent report by ProPublica that highlighted the tragic deaths of two women in the state due to difficulties in accessing legal abortions and timely medical care.
One of the cases mentioned in the report involved a Georgia mother who passed away in 2022 due to a treatable infection that resulted from delays in receiving medical care, attributed to the state's restrictive abortion law.
The report detailed the story of Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old woman who found out she was pregnant with twins shortly after Georgia implemented a ban on abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy. Thurman attempted to schedule a surgical abortion in North Carolina but was unable to make it on time due to traffic. As a result, she resorted to a medication abortion, which led to a rare complication where she retained fetal tissue in her body, necessitating a procedure known as dilation and curettage (D&C).
Tragically, Thurman faced delays in receiving the necessary medical intervention and passed away during the surgery at a hospital outside Atlanta. A maternal mortality review committee indicated that there was a high likelihood that Thurman's death could have been prevented had she undergone the D&C procedure in a timely manner.
The report also highlighted another case involving Candi Miller, a 41-year-old mother with underlying chronic conditions, who lost her life in 2022 due to rare and treatable complications arising from a medication abortion. Miller's family informed the coroner that she did not seek medical assistance due to concerns related to pregnancy and abortion laws.
These tragic incidents underscore the critical importance of ensuring access to safe and timely reproductive healthcare for women. Vice President Harris's upcoming remarks in Georgia are expected to address these pressing issues and advocate for the protection of women's reproductive rights.
