09.19.2024
Media

Georgia’s Abortion Ban Is Killing People Who Need Abortion Care

A new report from ProPublica confirms what abortion access activists have long known to be true: abortion bans put pregnant people at risk of preventable complications and death.  Over two years since the Dobbs ruling, we are seeing its terrible toll on people who need abortion care. News came out this week that two women have died due to Georgia’s abortion ban. 

Amber Nicole Thurman had an unusual complication from medication abortion and went to the hospital, where a routine procedure called dilation and curettage (D&C) could have saved her life. But Georgia banned almost all D&C’s in the wake of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe and clearing the way for abortion bans across the country. Amber Nicole Thurman was 28 years old, mother to a six year old son, and working toward the future in nursing she envisioned for herself.

Candi Miller needed an abortion to protect her life, but her conditions didn’t meet the legal requirements for an abortion even though doctors had warned that the pregnancy could kill her. She also needed a D&C and also was unable to get it, and died at home. She was 41 and mother to a 13 year old and a two year old. She never sought medical care because she knew the law banned abortion.

Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller. They should both be alive today. They and everyone who needs abortion care should be able to access abortion in safety and comfort. But nearly half of states have laws as harsh as or worse than the Georgia ban that led to these deaths. Black women, who experience maternal mortality at far higher rates in the United States, are three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy complications in Georgia, with the abortion ban contributing to that disparity.

Young people are working to make sure everyone who needs access to abortion can get it, and for the safety of mothers in the U.S. and Georgia. They are working in the face of ceaseless attacks on people who need abortion – bans that block procedures, prevent medical care, and allow and encourage surveillance and harassment. Advocates for Youth condemns Georgia’s abortion ban and all abortion bans. Young people deserve a future where they can live the life they want to live. Laws should never put our lives at risk.