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28-Year-Old Amber Nicole Thurman Dies After 20-Hour Delay Due to Georgia Abortion Ban

Sep 17, 2024, 10:56 AM

Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old mother from Georgia, died after being unable to access timely medical care due to the state's restrictive abortion laws. Thurman, who had developed sepsis from retained fetal tissue, waited 20 hours at an Atlanta-area hospital for a dilation and curettage procedure that could have saved her life. The delay was attributed to doctors' fear of prosecution under Georgia's abortion ban, which has made performing such procedures a felony with few exceptions. Thurman, who had a 6-year-old son, is one of at least two women in Georgia whose deaths were linked to delayed medical care following the implementation of the abortion ban. The state's maternal mortality review committee found her death preventable. A ProPublica report highlighted these cases, and Vice President Kamala Harris and other public figures have condemned the laws, highlighting the dangerous consequences of restrictive abortion regulations.