American woman dies after abortion ban delays her treatment: report

Washington (AFP) – Reproductive rights groups erupted in outrage Monday after ProPublica revealed that a woman in Georgia died after treatment was delayed due to the state’s restrictive abortion laws.

Released: 17/09/2024 – 00:11Modified: 09/17/2024 – 00:10

2 minutes

Amber Nicole Thurman, 28, developed a rare complication after taking early abortion pills and died during emergency surgery in August 2022. An official state commission blamed the fatal outcome on an “avoidable” delay in performing a critical procedure.

Georgia just passed a law that would make it a crime to perform genital dilation and curettage (D&C), with doctors warning that the medical exemptions are vague and difficult to interpret.

“Amber would be alive today if it weren’t for Donald Trump and Brian Kemp’s abortion ban,” said Mini Timmara, president of Reproductive Freedom for All. “They have blood on their hands.”

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn the nation’s abortion laws has sparked a wave of bans and restrictions in 22 states, pushing reproductive rights to the forefront of the upcoming presidential election.

ProPublica reported that this is the first abortion-related death officially deemed “preventable” and plans to publish details of a second case soon.

The official reviews are not made public, but ProPublica obtained copies of the reports.

Thurman, a healthy medical assistant and mother of a 6-year-old boy, made the decision to terminate her twin pregnancy to maintain her newfound balance, her best friend Ricaria Baker told ProPublica.

She and her son had recently moved into a new apartment complex, and she planned to enroll in nursing school. She wanted to have a surgical abortion, but Georgia’s six-week abortion ban forced her to seek care at a clinic in North Carolina.

On the day of the procedure, the hours-long drive was hampered by traffic jams, causing Thurman to miss her 15-minute appointment.

The clinic offered a medication abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol. While it is generally safe, there are rare complications that can occur.

Thurman’s condition worsened over several days, progressing to profuse bleeding and vomiting blood. She was taken to Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge.

Doctors determined she had not expelled all of the fetal tissue from her body and diagnosed her with “acute severe sepsis.”

However, despite the patient’s rapidly deteriorating health, the hospital delayed Thurman’s oral dilation and curettage procedure for 17 hours.

At the time of the surgery, the situation was so serious that it required open abdominal surgery. The doctor performed the surgery and determined that a hysterectomy was necessary as well — but during the procedure, Thurman’s heart stopped beating.

Her mother recalled her last words: “Promise me you will take care of my son.”

The state board found there was a “good chance” that earlier surgery could have saved Thurman’s life.

Exceptions to the “maternal life” rule have proven inadequate, forcing women to cross state lines in desperate attempts to obtain life-saving care.

“She died in a hospital, surrounded by doctors who could have saved her life,” wrote feminist author Jessica Valenti on X. “That’s what abortion bans do.”