WASHINGTON, DC – This week, ProPublica reported on the preventable deaths of two mothers from Georgia, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who lost their lives as a result of the state’s harsh abortion ban. Details included in reports from Georgia’s maternal mortality review committee, which investigates pregnancy-related deaths in the state, confirm that both women’s deaths were preventable, and the result of limited access to timely medical care. 

In Georgia, abortion is banned after 6 weeks, and while extremists attempt to hide behind the so-called “exceptions” that could allow women experiencing medical emergencies to receive care, the deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller confirm that emergency exceptions create confusion for doctors and patients and don’t work when people need to access care. 

Today, Veronica Ingham, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just released the following statement in response to the new reporting: 

“The tragic loss of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller is heartbreaking, and we extend our deepest condolences to their families and the communities grieving their deaths. Georgia’s leaders failed these women, who deserved better from our country. Abortion bans are deadly, and we know that Amber and Candi’s families are not alone. People across the country are enduring devastating loss and fear because of ongoing attacks on access to reproductive health care, and there is no excuse for the trauma inflicted on these families. We must tell the truth about what life is like for women and families in post-Roe America, and be clear about what’s at stake as anti-abortion extremists find new and cruel ways to attack our reproductive freedom.”

If you are interested in speaking with local patient storytellers, health care providers, or families impacted by ongoing attacks on access to abortion care, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 

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Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.