Free & Just Condemns Criminalization of Georgia Woman’s Miscarriage While State Legislature Moves Legislation to Classify Abortion as Homicide

For Immediate Release

March 28, 2025

Contact: Malachi White, malachi@freeandjust.us 

Free & Just Condemns Criminalization of Georgia Woman’s Miscarriage While State Legislature Moves Legislation to Classify Abortion as Homicide

24-year-old, Selena Maria Chandler Scott, found unconscious and bleeding still sits in jail for criminalized miscarriage. 

WASHINGTON, DC –– This week, law enforcement arrested Selena Maria Chandler Scott, 24, after she suffered a miscarriage. She is being wrongfully charged with “concealing the death of another person” and “throwing away or abandonment of a dead body” due to Georgia’s extreme anti-abortion laws. She is currently in jail. 

Between 10% and 20% of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage. Meanwhile, instead of pushing efforts to prioritize the health and safety of women and patients in Georgia, Republicans are moving another extreme bill (HB 441) that would be a total ban on abortion — going even further than what is current state law. This showcases the fact that Republican lawmakers care more about infringing people’s rights than ensuring the wellbeing of patients seeking care. As of today, Republican lawmakers across ten states including Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa, Idaho and North Dakota, have introduced legislation that aims to charge pregnant women with homicide if they seek out or receive abortion care.

“My daughter waited 20 hours for emergency care and ultimately lost her life. I don’t want another mother to experience the loss I have suffered,” said Shanette Williams, whose daughter Amber Nicole Thurman lost her life in Georgia after being denied timely medical care due to the state’s abortion ban. “Arresting people who experience miscarriages will not keep women and families safe in Georgia.”

“I have been an ultrasound tech in Georgia for 20 years, and what is happening to Ms. Scott and others like her is inhumane and unbecoming of our country,” said Suki O, an ultrasound technician who helps abortion patients in the Atlanta area. “I’ve seen first-hand the impact of the Dobbs decision on my patients, many of whom have had miscarriages or other tragic situations due to fetal anomalies, ectopic pregnancies, or simply not having access to timely medical care when they need it most. What is happening to Ms. Scott is an injustice and abuse of a law that already infringes greatly on the rights of women in Georgia.” 

“Abortion bans in a post Roe world are not only killing women, but also criminalizing women who lack access to lifesaving care even after having a miscarriage. 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 people, including Selena,” said Veronica Ingham, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. “Abortion bans are killing women and instead of working to protect families, lawmakers are going out of their way to punish pregnant women who are already grieving devastating losses. What’s happening to this young woman is a reflection of the priorities of extreme anti-abortion legislators in Georgia and across the country.”

If you are interested in speaking with Shanette Williams and Suki O about their experiences in Georgia, or other storytellers living in Georgia regarding living in a post Roe world, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. If you are interested in learning more about the research gathered regarding state-level abortion bans and federal activity, please contact malachi@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.

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  

**WATCH THE EVENT HERE** 

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.

Patients and Providers from Wisconsin and Georgia Spotlight Harms of Abortion Bans and Attacks on Reproductive Freedom at Congressional Hearing on Project 2025

WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, two women whose lives have been upended by attacks on abortion access and reproductive freedom traveled to Washington to share their stories with the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee at a hearing on Project 2025 and what’s at stake for communities across the country. 

Project 2025 lays bare what conservatives and extremists plan to do next on abortion and reproductive freedom. These plans include using federal power to ban abortion nationwide and restrict access to contraception, reversing FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, which is used in about half of US abortions, requiring states where abortion access is legally protected to report when patients travel from out of state for care, and prohibiting “embryonic research” which could put access to IVF treatment at risk.

At the hearing, Gracie Ladd, an oncology nurse from Nashotah, Wisconsin shared how she was forced to travel out of state for abortion care earlier this year when she learned that her son, Connor, was developing without a bladder or functioning kidneys, and had several serious heart defects that meant he would not survive more than a few minutes if she carried the pregnancy to term. Out of love and compassion for their son, Gracie and her husband chose to terminate the pregnancy, sparing Connor suffering. 

Gracie described feeling angry that attacks on access to abortion in Wisconsin meant she had to travel out of state for medical care, and frustrated that lawmakers who would never know her or understand her situation had so much power over her experience.

“I’m angry that I had to drive to Chicago for care with a medical team I had never met, for a procedure that took two days and was quite literally the worst two days of my life. I’m angry that although I could take the time off of work, could find childcare for my living son, and afford to make the drive to another state, not all women can. But mostly, I’m angry that people who weren’t in that ultrasound room with me while I received the news that tore my world apart get to decide whether or not the medical choice on how to best move forward is not mine to make.”

Gracie also warned that if anti-abortion extremists get their way, people like her would have an even harder time accessing the care they need.

“Today I’m here to share that I’m angry because if Republicans get their way and pass Project 2025’s national abortion ban, I wouldn’t have even had the freedom to leave my state for the health care that is my right to receive.”

Suki O, an ultrasound technician in the Atlanta area who helps people seeking abortion care described finding “her home” in the abortion care community, but grew emotional when discussing the deaths of fellow Georgia women Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who lost their lives as a result of the state’s harsh abortion ban. 

“Amber's death hit me hard as she was a part of my community. A community that I've called home for 22 years. She died in a hospital where I've worked and a place where I watched my grandson be born. If these bans hadn't been put in place I might have been the person to perform Amber or Candi’s ultrasound. I might have been able to make them smile, give them a hug or listen to them tell me thank you. How many more Black women have to die or have died as a result of abortion bans?”

Suki shared that in her role as an ultrasound technician, she wears many hats and often finds herself comforting patients who have received devastating news about their pregnancy and are faced with few “options” thanks to Georgia’s restrictive abortion laws.

“I'm tired of seeing women being forced to travel out of state to have an abortion. I'm tired of wiping away tears after being forced to tell women they are too far along under Georgia’s abortion ban. These women deserve to have autonomy over their bodies to make decisions that are best for them.”

If you are interested in speaking with Gracie Ladd or Suki O. about their testimony, their experiences, or what’s at stake for abortion access and reproductive freedom, 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.

Free & Just Statement on the Preventable Deaths of Georgia Mothers Amber Thurman and Candi Miller

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.

Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Patients, and Health Care Providers Spotlight Harms of Abortion Bans at “Ride to Decide” Bus Tour Event in Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA –– Today, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) joined patients, health care providers, and abortion rights advocates as Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour stopped in Atlanta. The Ride to Decide bus tour comes as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate across the country. Support for legal abortion has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, but that hasn’t stopped anti-abortion extremists and conservative lawmakers from continuing to undermine Americans’ access to abortion care, birth control, and IVF treatment. 

At the event, local patient storytellers, health care providers, and community members shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Georgia and across the country.

“It is the leaders in Georgia who have failed us and gotten us into this predicament in the first place,” said Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), who highlighted how the state’s six-week abortion ban has made OBGYN shortages worse and left people without access to care. “When we talk about stopping abortion bans and protecting reproductive freedom – we are using our voices, our stories, and freedom.”

“Most folks who are accessing abortion care are already parents, and nobody knows better what their capacity is to parent than people who are parents. You can’t tell someone to ‘suck it up” or “have another baby’ – you cannot force someone to birth and take care of a child,” said Nandi, a mother of two and an abortion doula who shared her own experience accessing abortion care in Georgia. “As an abortion-haver, as a mom of two, as a doula – it’s really important that we continue to use our voices, share our stories, build our community, talk to our representatives, and let our voices be heard.”

“Sometimes in the emergency department we discover a new pregnancy, and I give patients news that changes their lives. We used to be able to sit down and talk through their options, but with the way things are right now, there’s not really much we can do once they hit six-weeks,” Dr. Juhi Varshney, an emergency medicine physician in Atlanta. “The abortion bans in our state are hurting all of us, and in ways we didn’t expect.”

“I work in an amazing clinic, but we are tired. We work every single day to help folks get to different states to get care,” said Suki O, an ultrasound technician in the Atlanta area who helps people seeking abortion care. “Every day I tell my patients ‘I love you, hold your head up,’ and ‘I am proud of you for making the best decision for you and your family.’”

“Men cannot afford to be passive observers in this fight,” said Davan'te Jennings, the Chairman of the Young Democrats of Georgia Black Caucus and an advocate with Men4Choice, who urged men in Georgia and across the country to engage in the fight for reproductive freedom. “When we speak out against harmful abortion laws, we show our mothers, our sisters, our partners, and our daughters, we show them that we care about their health, their autonomy, and their futures.”

“Young Georgians know that access to abortion and health care services may save their life or the life of someone close to them,” said Andrés Parra with the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition. “Young Georgians deserve the right to have a conversation with their families and their health care providers to make the best decisions for their health and their future. There is no room for legislators.”

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to North Carolina next, where local storytellers and local leaders in Charlotte and Raleigh will spotlight the real-life impacts of abortion bans and attacks on reproductive freedom and share why federal action to protect access to abortion and reproductive health care has never been more important.

You can watch the event here. If you are interested in speaking with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 

Free & Just is committed to fighting for reproductive freedom. Join us in sharing stories, raising voices, and securing our future. 

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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.

Patient Advocates, Local Leaders and Abortion Rights Activists to Join Free & Just and Middle Georgia 4 Choice to Demand Action to Protect Reproductive Freedom as “Ride to Decide” Arrives in Macon

MACON, GA –– Yesterday, Free & Just’s “Ride to Decide” national bus tour arrived in Macon to highlight what’s at stake as extremist lawmakers work to ban abortion nationwide. The Ride to Decide bus tour comes as attacks on reproductive freedom escalate across the country. Support for legal abortion has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, but that hasn’t stopped anti-abortion extremists and conservative lawmakers from continuing to undermine Americans’ access to abortion care,  birth control, and IVF treatment. 

At the event, local patient storytellers, health care providers, and community members shared how attacks on reproductive freedom harm women and families in Georgia and across the country.

“Outlawing abortion inevitably impacts families experiencing pregnancy loss. Hopeful parents see their dreams turn into nightmares as they navigate the legal minefield abortion bans create,” said Julia Callahan, the co-founder of Middle Georgia 4 Choice, who detailed her experience with pregnancy loss, and shared her fears of miscarrying again under the extreme abortion ban in effect across Georgia today. “While extremist politicians have succeeded in banning abortion in twenty three states, they want to go even further by criminalizing the procedure nationwide. If they succeed, grieving parents like me could be jailed for losing a baby that they wanted.”

“I graduated nursing school in 1972, just one year before Roe v. Wade was decided,” said Lynne Snyder, a former nurse practitioner who grew emotional while sharing a handful of stories from women who accessed abortion care and went on to raise happy, healthy families when they were ready. “Reproductive health care is so important, and we cannot go backwards.” 

“Women shouldn’t be alienated and feel scared to go to the doctor because they feel like they are going to be denied care,” said Kristen Crane, a member of Middle Georgia 4 Choice, who suffered a miscarriage and is speaking out about how abortion bans affect women who need urgent medical care. “When abortion rights are under attack, all pregnancy care is under attack.”

“During my chidbearing years, I had every option on the table,” said Mia Robbins-Aguilar, who co-founded Middle Georgia 4 Choice. “I am here because I am angered, and I am afraid for my nieces and every young girl that I come into contact with. They should all have the same rights that I had. They should all have access to care and medical treatment.”  

The “Ride to Decide” tour is headed to Atlanta next, where local storytellers will spotlight the real-life impacts of abortion bans and attacks on reproductive freedom and share why federal action to protect access to abortion and reproductive health care has never been more important.

If you are interested in audio or b-roll from today’s event, or would like to speak with any of the participants in the press event, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 

Free & Just is committed to fighting for reproductive freedom. Join us in sharing stories, raising voices, and securing our future. 

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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.