Former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointments and their decisions on abortion rights have been associated with the death of a young mother from Georgia by Vice President Kamala Harris. This situation has sparked renewed discussions on healthcare policies and abortion access across the United States.
Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old woman from Georgia, died in August 2022 due to complications arising from an abortion pill. As per reports, Thurman waited for treatment at a hospital in suburban Atlanta for 20 hours before succumbing to a severe infection. Her death occurred just a fortnight after Georgia implemented stringent abortion restrictions following the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade.
In a statement, Harris said, “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.”
Highlighting the severe repercussions of limiting abortion access, the Vice President pointed out that women are finding themselves in dire situations, including losing the ability to conceive due to denied care in emergency rooms and “bleeding out in parking lots.” Harris also remarked that policies are now barring survivors of incest and rape from making decisions about their bodies, leading to some women losing their lives.
The Trump campaign responded to these allegations by blaming the hospital for not providing vital care. Campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that Trump has consistently advocated for exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother, which are part of Georgia’s law. Consequently, she questioned why the doctors did not act promptly to save Amber Thurman’s life.
Currently, the maternal mortality commission of Georgia is reviewing Thurman’s case. An official state committee concluded that her death could have been prevented, according to the investigative news outlet ProPublica. The federal government has not held the suburban Atlanta hospital accountable, which reportedly delayed her treatment, for failing to provide stabilizing treatment to a pregnant patient based on a review of federal documents from the past two years.
According to the federal government, several pregnant women have been unlawfully turned away from emergency rooms, with a significant increase in cases in states with strict abortion bans like Texas and Missouri. A media report revealed that women have been forced to miscarry in public restrooms, wait for treatment in their vehicles, or have been directed by doctors to seek care elsewhere. Some women have developed infections or lost part of their reproductive system after hospitals in abortion-ban states delayed emergency abortions.
The Supreme Court’s decision and the ensuing state abortion laws have led to numerous complaints against hospitals and doctors, accusing them of refusing to treat women with pregnancy complications. Women in Texas have requested U.S. health authorities to investigate local hospitals for denying them abortions for dangerous ectopic pregnancies. Similarly, women in Idaho, Tennessee, and Oklahoma have filed lawsuits alleging that they were denied abortions despite experiencing life-threatening pregnancy complications.
Democrats and advocates for abortion rights have used Thurman’s case to argue that women’s health is deteriorating under strict abortion bans. However, anti-abortion proponents have dismissed these claims as misinformation.
The debate on abortion access remains a pivotal issue in American politics. Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision, Georgia and approximately a dozen other U.S. states enacted laws severely limiting or banning abortion rights. Trump has expressed his belief that individual states should decide on abortion rights and include exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
As the presidential election on November 5, 2024, draws near, the issue of abortion rights is expected to stay at the forefront of political conversations. Vice President Harris, the Democratic nominee, has stated that safeguarding abortion rights is a key campaign issue. Cases like Thurman’s continue to highlight the intricate and contentious nature of abortion policy in the United States.
