Harris to Address Abortion in Georgia Following Deaths of Two Women

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to deliver her first major speech on abortion this Friday in Atlanta, where she will discuss the tragic deaths of two Georgia women. According to a senior campaign official, these cases represent the “dangerous consequences” stemming from what Harris refers to as “Trump Abortion Bans.”

Harris has made reproductive rights a central theme of her campaign. In early September, her team kicked off a “reproductive freedom” bus tour that began in Palm Beach County, a stronghold for former President Donald Trump.

During her speech, Harris is expected to caution Georgian voters against trusting Trump’s inconsistent history on abortion. She will emphasize that should he regain leadership, he would seek to impose a nationwide ban on abortion.

In a recent debate, Trump characterized his approach to abortion care as returning control to the states. He avoided making a commitment to veto any prospective federal abortion ban that might cross his desk, asserting that such a situation would likely not arise.

Harris’s speech will focus on the heartbreaking cases of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who both died in 2022 due to complications related to Georgia’s six-week abortion ban. This ban took effect following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Thurman passed away just two weeks after the law was enacted after enduring a 20-hour wait at a suburban Atlanta hospital for an incomplete abortion. Miller’s death occurred after she chose not to seek medical assistance for complications from abortion medication, as reported by ProPublica.

Thurman’s family recently appeared in a live-streamed event hosted by Oprah Winfrey, which included an emotional segment featuring her mother, Shanette Williams. Williams expressed her resolve not to let her daughter become just another statistic.

“Initially, I did not want the public to know my pain,” Williams shared, in tears. “I wanted to go through in silence. But I realized that it was selfish. I want y’all to know that Amber was not a statistic. She was loved by a family, a strong family, and we would have done whatever we could to help her.”

Georgia is recognized as a critical swing state, which President Biden narrowly secured in 2020 with a margin of about 12,000 votes over Trump. Understanding the importance of reaching out beyond urban Atlanta to take the state, Harris has visited rural regions in southeastern Georgia, culminating her tour with a rally in Savannah.

Recent polling indicates that Harris is closely contending with Trump in Georgia. According to 538’s averages, Trump holds a slight lead of one point, garnering 48% support compared to Harris’s 47%.

After her Atlanta speech, Harris is scheduled to travel to Madison, Wisconsin, later in the evening for a rally.

Source: abcnews.go.com