Amber Thurman's family reacts to Georgia's abortion ban being lifted

The family of Amber Thurman, a Georgia mother who died after waiting 20 hours in a hospital for treatment for a rare complication from taking an abortion pill, has spoken out after a judge struck down the state's abortion law .

Georgia's LIFE Act came into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat could be detected. This effectively banned abortions beyond the sixth week of pregnancy and, with a few exceptions, made carrying out an abortion a criminal offence.

Thurman, who died at age 28, had sought help from Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge, Georgia, in August 2022 for complications from taking an abortion pill. ProPublica reported that doctors at the hospital did not evacuate the remaining fetus, even though she developed sepsis, although she developed sepsis on tissue in her uterus using a procedure called dilation and curettage (D&C). She later died on the operating table.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in his order Monday that the law violates the Georgia Constitution, two weeks after ProPublica's reporting on the deaths of Thurman and another Georgia woman highlighted the risks the ban entails for the health of mothers.

He wrote: “Freedom in Georgia includes, in its meaning, in its protection and in its bundle of rights, the power of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to and within it, and to reject state interference in it. “Health Decisions.”

Thurman's death, first reported by ProPublica last month, came just two weeks after Georgia passed the law.

Amber Nicole Thurman. The 28-year-old died in 2022 after waiting 20 hours in a hospital for treatment for a rare complication from taking an abortion pill.

ProPublica reported that the Georgia Maternal Mortality Committee deemed Thurman's death preventable and that the hospital's delay in performing the procedure had a “huge” impact on the outcome.

At a news conference Tuesday, Thurman's mother, Shanette Williams, said, “It's so disheartening. It's heartbreaking. It's shocking. I have every emotion you could imagine from a mother.”

She recalled reassuring her daughter that the doctors at the hospital “would take good care of her.”

“She kept emphasizing to me the pain of not understanding, she gave me instructions,” she said.

“When she started crying, I knew it was serious because my baby was a strong person and for her to cry, I just had to wipe away the tears and tell her that they would take good care of her.”

Thurman's sister CJ Williams said she was “angry” and “beyond heartbroken.”

She said: “I understand now, you know they are trying to do something about it but my sister is gone. I would hate for this to happen to another mother, daughter, sister, cousin, aunt. But Amber is gone.” . Did she really have to be the victim? I feel like she had to be the sacrifice for the greater good.

Her sister's death could have been prevented and someone “needs to be held accountable,” she said. “We want justice. We will achieve justice for Amber.”

Ben Crump, an attorney representing the family, said the judge's decision to strike down the state's abortion ban was “bittersweet” for the family.

“Because while it will likely prevent other women in the state of Georgia from being put in danger like Amber was for the foreseeable future, it was not designed to save Amber's life,” he said.

Crump said he plans to file a medical malpractice lawsuit against the hospital on behalf of Thurman's family.

He called doctors negligent for letting Thurman “cry, vomit and turn blue for 20 hours” and for failing to inform her mother of her deteriorating health.

Crump pointed to a federal law called EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act), which requires doctors to stabilize or treat every patient who shows up at an emergency room.

“You have a duty to stabilize her and then give her the opportunity to go to another hospital facility, but you cannot let her suffer and die in your hospital bed if the death is preventable,” he said.

Michael Harper, a Georgia-based attorney, said Thurman's life should have been saved under Georgia's six-week abortion law because it allows abortions to be performed if a doctor determines there is a medical emergency or if the fetus is not viable .

“When Amber Thurman went to the hospital, there was no heartbeat. There was no viable fetus,” Harper said.

“There was no reason for these doctors to have any complications or problems about what to do next. The law would have allowed them to operate on Ms. Thurman immediately.”[…]They still should have had surgery because she fell under those two important exceptions.”

Thurman's family thanks Tim Walz

Thurman's family thanked Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz for telling their story during Tuesday's debate.

The Minnesota governor repeatedly pounced on his Republican opponent, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, over abortion access during the debate, as Vance argued that leaving abortion laws up to the states was the right approach.

Walz replied that a woman’s “fundamental right” should not be determined “by geography.”

He then brought up Thurman, saying there was a “very real chance” that she would still be alive if she had lived in Minnesota and not Georgia.

Amber Thurman's family reacts to Georgia's abortion ban being lifted
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in New York City on October 1, 2024. The Democratic vice presidential candidate brought up the death of Amber Thurman during a debate with Sen. JD Vance on Tuesday.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

“There is a young woman named Amber Thurman,” Walz said. “She happened to be in Georgia, a restrictive state. Because of this, she had to travel a long distance to North Carolina to receive treatment. Amber Thurman died on that return trip.”

He added: “The fact is, how can we as a nation say that your life and your rights, as fundamental as the right to control your own body, are determined by geography? There is a very real chance that if Amber Thurman was alive in Minnesota she would still be alive today.”

In a statement provided to Newsweek through her attorney, Thurman's family said they “commend Governor Tim Walz for telling Amber's story and for his unwavering commitment to defending women's reproductive rights.”

The statement said: “Amber's tragic death was a direct result of Georgia's outdated and dangerously restrictive abortion laws, which denied her the life-saving care she so desperately needed.”

“We strongly condemn the Republican platform that seeks to further restrict women's access to necessary health care under the false guise of protection. We mourn an unimaginable loss that no family should have to endure.”

“We must continue to fight against laws that endanger women’s lives, and we are grateful to leaders like Governor Walz who stand up for common-sense laws while showing so much compassion.”

The family added that the “fight for justice for Amber is a fight for every woman's right to make decisions about her own body and access the medical care she needs.” We won't stop until this Dangerous laws are repealed and no more lives are lost. Until then, we must continue to say her name: Amber Thurman!”