Harris says ‘Trump abortion bans’  to blame for Georgia woman’s pregnancy-related death

This story was updated on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 12:35 p.m.

Vice President Kamala Harris weighed in on a ProPublica report linking Georgia’s abortion law to a death ruled preventable by a state maternal mortality committee, saying former President Donald Trump’s actions against abortion rights are to blame.

“This is exactly what we feared when Roe was struck down,” she said, referencing the Supreme Court — which Trump appointed three conservative judges to — striking down the longstanding abortion rights law in 2022. That decision triggered Georgia’s six-week abortion ban to go into effect.

“In more than 20 states, Trump Abortion Bans are preventing doctors from providing basic medical care,” Harris said in the statement early Tuesday.

The ProPublica story on Monday described how 28-year-old metro Atlanta woman Amber Nicole Thurman experienced complications after taking abortion pills shortly after Georgia’s abortion restrictions went into effect. 

Georgia’s abortion law restricts the procedure she needed after around six weeks of pregnancy with some exceptions. Thurman’s condition worsened and she later died. ProPublica obtained a report from an official state committee that said that Thurman’s death was “preventable” and that the hospital’s delay had a “large” impact on the outcome. WABE has not independently confirmed the details of the committee’s ruling.

“Any documents, notes, records, summaries, etc., of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee are confidential by state law,” the Georgia Department of Public Health told WABE in a statement.

ProPublica confirmed at least one other case of a Georgia woman dying after she couldn’t access legal abortions in the state. Georgia has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the U.S., and it disproportionately affects Black women.

“This young mother should be alive, raising her son, and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school,” Harris said in response to the story. “These are the consequences of Donald Trump’s actions.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s office described ProPublica’s reporting as a “fear-mongering campaign.”

Abortion has become a central issue in the 2024 presidential election — the first to be held since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the court’s decision. He’s stopped short of supporting a federal abortion ban, but in a debate with Harris earlier this month he refused to say whether he’d veto such a ban. 

Harris said Trump would sign a national abortion ban if given the chance and that “horrific realities” like Thurman’s death would increase.