Ahead of Would-Be Roe Anniversary, Congresswoman Nikema Williams and Mother of Amber Nicole Thurman Join Patients and Providers Discuss Ongoing Attacks on Reproductive Freedom
For Immediate Release
January 21, 2025
Contact: Kelly Rimar kelly@freeandjust.us
GEORGIA – Today, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Shanette Williams, whose daughter Amber Nicole Thurman, lost her life as a result of Georgia’s abortion ban, joined patient storytellers and providers to mark what would be the 52nd anniversary of the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which enshrined the right to legal abortion for nearly 50 years. In June 2022, the Supreme Court stripped away the right to safe and legal abortion, ending half a century of precedent and robbing millions of people of the freedom to make their own decisions about their families, futures, and lives. In the years since, attacks on reproductive freedom have escalated, and women across the country have lost their lives as a result of abortion bans and restrictions.
Stripping away the freedoms Roe protected was just the first step in extremists' anti-abortion playbook. Today, Republican officials remain committed to banning abortion nationwide, and they will use any tool at their disposal to do it – even though it remains widely unpopular.
“I refuse to stand by while extremist politicians attack our freedoms, our health, and our future,” said Congresswoman Nikema Williams, who represents Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District and warned that the new administration plans to restrict abortion rights further. “Reproductive freedom is about health care, it’s about dignity, it’s about autonomy. It’s about ensuring that everyone, every person, has the ability to make the best decisions for themselves and their families without government interference.”
“She left a son, who every day is confused by why his mother is not here,” said Shanette Williams, whose daughter Amber Nicole Thurman lost her life in Georgia after being denied medical care. “I’m here to be that voice, to fight, to push, to do whatever I need to do to help save another life. Because I never want a mother to feel what I feel today. We cannot quit. We cannot be silent. If we quit, we lose more women.” In November, following reporting from ProPublica, officials in Georgia dismissed all members of the state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which investigates the deaths of pregnant women across the state.
“I could have been Amber Nicole Thurman,” said Avery Davis Bell, a mother from Savannah who was forced to travel out-of-state for care after her baby was diagnosed with fatal chromosomal anomalies that threatened Avery’s own life. “It is important for me to continue sharing my story and advocating for us to be able to build the families we want, protect our lives, and be here for our living children.”
“The ban has been in place for three years now and it doesn’t get any easier. To turn women away is the hardest thing for me to do,” said Suki O., an ultrasound technician and abortion care provider in the Atlanta area. Reflecting on the loss of Amber Nicole Thurman, Suki shared her concerns that women in Georgia and across the country will continue to die, and asked “How many Black women will die, have died, and will continue to die due to these abortion bans?”
“I was hospitalized ten times in ten weeks,” said Callie Beale Harper, who was forced to travel out-of-state for care when one of her twins was diagnosed with severe fetal abnormalities. Harper described her commitment to standing up to attacks on access to reproductive care that leave women in Georgia and across the country vulnerable. “Because of the risk to our lives and the trauma that I had to endure at an already difficult time, I stand for women like me who were played by the system in place, and had my life and my daughter’s life put in jeopardy due to these laws.”
“This is not just a women’s issue, this is a man’s issue as well,” said Davan’te Jennings, President of Young Democrats of Georgia and Youth Organizing Director at Men4Choice, an organization dedicated to educating and engaging young men in the fight for reproductive justice. Jennings urged men across the country to pay attention to the attacks coming from the new administration and extremist lawmakers. “I want to send a clear message to men to get off the sidelines and enter the fight for reproductive justice. What would it look like for you to have to watch your mother go through this? To watch your sister go through this?”
If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us.
You can watch the virtual press event here, and learn more about how Republican officials plan to restrict reproductive freedom here.
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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.