Abortion laws have become a contentious and life-altering issue in the United States, especially after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had provided nationwide protection for abortion rights for nearly five decades. Georgia’s strict abortion ban, which allows abortion only up to six weeks of pregnancy, has caused not only political and legal battles but also real-life tragedies. Among the most heart-wrenching consequences of this ban are the preventable deaths of two Black women, Candi Miller and Amber Thurman, both of whom faced complications from medication abortions but did not receive the care they needed.
The Tragic Death of Amber Thurman
Amber Thurman was a 28-year-old single mother from Georgia who tragically lost her life in August 2022. She sought to end her pregnancy using medication, a common and safe method that involves taking pills to induce an abortion. However, in rare cases, such as Thurman’s, complications can arise. In her case, fetal tissue remained, a condition that is typically resolved with a procedure called dilation and curettage (D&C), which is both routine and life-saving. Yet, due to Georgia’s abortion ban, which criminalizes abortion after six weeks and places restrictions on medical providers, Thurman was denied this care.
Doctors in the emergency room where she sought help were hesitant to perform the procedure, likely out of fear of criminal prosecution. Over a period of 20 hours, despite her worsening condition, Thurman did not receive the necessary treatment and died of a fatal infection. Her death was preventable. If the law had allowed for immediate medical intervention, she could have been saved.
Candi Miller’s Preventable Death
In a similar and equally tragic case, Candi Miller, a 41-year-old Black mother of three, died in November 2022 after self-managing her abortion at home. Due to pre-existing health conditions such as lupus, hypertension, and diabetes, doctors had warned Miller that another pregnancy could be fatal. But Georgia’s restrictive abortion laws left her in a situation where she felt too afraid to seek professional medical help for her abortion.
Like Thurman, Miller used medication to induce her abortion, and when complications arose, she did not seek care. Fear of prosecution under Georgia’s abortion laws kept her from going to the hospital. She tragically died at home, taking a mixture of drugs to manage her pain. Her death, like Thurman’s, was preventable and directly related to the state’s restrictive abortion legislation.
Georgia’s Six-Week Abortion Ban
Georgia’s abortion law, which bans abortions after six weeks, is one of the strictest in the United States. Many women don’t even realize they are pregnant at six weeks, meaning that this law effectively acts as a total abortion ban. What makes matters worse is that there are no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, putting women in even more dire situations.
The law has created an atmosphere of fear among healthcare providers, who risk criminal charges for performing procedures that might be considered illegal under the ban. Even life-saving treatments, such as D&C in the case of Amber Thurman, have been withheld because doctors fear the legal repercussions.
The Impact on Black Women
The burden of Georgia’s abortion ban disproportionately falls on Black women. In the United States, Black women are already three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. Georgia, in particular, has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the country. Over half of Georgia’s counties do not have access to an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN), leaving many women without adequate reproductive healthcare.
This lack of access, combined with a fear of criminalization under the abortion ban, has created a dangerous environment for women of color in the state. The deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller are grim examples of the fatal consequences that can result from restricting access to reproductive healthcare.
Medication Abortion: Safe but Politically Charged
Medication abortion, the method both Thurman and Miller used, is a highly safe and effective way to end a pregnancy. Since its approval by the FDA, about six million people have used abortion medication with only 31 deaths reported, 11 of which were due to sepsis—a complication that can be treated if caught early. The fatality rate of medication abortion is lower than that of many commonly used drugs, such as penicillin or Viagra.
Yet, in states like Georgia, where abortion bans have made even life-saving procedures a legal minefield, these rare complications can become death sentences. The criminalization of abortion-related procedures, even those necessary to address complications, has made doctors hesitant to intervene, putting patients’ lives at risk.
The Fight for Reproductive Justice
The deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller have sparked outrage and calls for change. Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, a national reproductive justice collective based in Georgia, has been a vocal advocate for dismantling Georgia’s six-week abortion ban. She has highlighted the maternal healthcare crisis facing Black women in Georgia, emphasizing the lack of access to healthcare, the fear of seeking medical help, and the deadly consequences of the abortion ban.
SisterSong has been fighting against Georgia’s abortion ban for years, arguing that these restrictive laws disproportionately affect marginalized communities, particularly women of color. As Simpson has pointed out, Black women are already dying at alarmingly high rates from pregnancy-related complications, and the abortion ban only exacerbates the issue.
The Broader Impact of Abortion Bans
The impact of Georgia’s abortion ban extends beyond the state. Across the country, women are being denied care or forced to travel out of state to access safe abortions. Vice President Kamala Harris and other leaders have called attention to the dangers posed by these laws, particularly for women of color.
At the 2024 Democratic National Convention, several women shared their stories of being denied care due to abortion bans. These testimonies highlight the devastating impact of these restrictions, not just in Georgia but nationwide.
A Call for Change
The tragic deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller are stark reminders of the human cost of restrictive abortion laws. These women’s lives could have been saved if they had access to timely medical care without the fear of legal repercussions. Their stories, and the stories of countless other women, underscore the urgent need for reproductive justice and healthcare reform in Georgia and across the United States.
As the fight for reproductive rights continues, advocates like Monica Simpson and organizations like SisterSong are at the forefront, pushing for laws that prioritize women’s health and safety over political agendas. Until then, the lives of women, especially women of color, will continue to hang in the balance.