VP: Woman’s death from delayed abortion highlights Trump’s impact.

Vice President Kamala Harris recently addressed the tragic death of a young mother from Georgia, emphasizing that her passing highlights the repercussions of Donald Trump’s policies. Amber Thurman, a mother who lost her life after waiting over 20 hours for medical treatment related to complications from an abortion pill, became a focal point in Harris’s critique of stricter abortion laws.

This incident occurred shortly after Georgia implemented a stringent abortion ban in 2022, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn federal protections for abortion rights. Trump appointed three justices who played a role in that ruling and has consistently endorsed state-level control over abortion legislation.

In her statement, Harris lamented, “This young mother should be alive, raising her son, and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school.” She expressed alarm at the broader implications of such policies, noting, “Women are bleeding out in parking lots, turned away from emergency rooms, losing their ability to ever have children again.” She also underscored the plight of rape and incest survivors who are being denied control over their own bodies, declaring, “And now women are dying. These are the consequences of Donald Trump’s actions.”

Harris’s remarks are part of a strategic effort by Democratic leaders to use the issue of abortion access to engage and mobilize women voters ahead of upcoming elections.

The federal government has reported that many women have been unjustly denied medical care in emergency settings, particularly in states with aggressive abortion laws like Texas and Missouri. An associated report uncovered distressing accounts of women facing extreme delays in care, with some left to handle miscarriages in public bathrooms. Other accounts revealed that women have endured severe infections due to delayed emergency care in hospitals.

Thurman’s death marks a significant case, being the first widely recognized instance wherein a woman died as a direct result of delayed medical attention after taking abortion pills.

In response, the Trump campaign pointed fingers at the hospital for its failure to provide prompt life-saving care. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “President Trump has always supported exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, which Georgia’s law provides.” However, she found it perplexing why the doctors did not act decisively to save Thurman.

The state’s maternal mortality commission is currently reviewing Thurman’s case. Notably, the suburban Atlanta hospital involved has not faced federal citations for failing to stabilize pregnant patients in any documented cases over the last two years.

Thurman sought medical assistance for complications stemming from an abortion pill two weeks after Governor Brian Kemp signed the law that largely prohibits abortion in the state. While suffering from sepsis, her medical team neglected to perform a dilation and curettage procedure to remove residual fetal tissue. She tragically passed away during surgery, just moments after urging her mother to look after her 6-year-old son.

In the wake of this incident, Democrats and advocates for abortion rights have highlighted it as evidence that stringent abortion restrictions are severely impacting women’s health. They assert that the situation validates their long-held belief that such bans can lead to fatal outcomes, a narrative that opponents have dismissed as false information.

Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All, stated, “We actually have the substantiated proof of something we already knew: that abortion bans can kill people.” This sentiment has resonated with many who advocate for reproductive rights and access to health care for women.

As the discussion around abortion access and women’s health continues to unfold, Thurman’s case is poised to remain a critical example in the debate about the ramifications of restrictive abortion laws.