In an absolutely gutwrenching new report, ProPublica describes the agonizing final hours of Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28 year-old single mom who in July 2022 was suffering from a rare complication from having taken an abortion pill. Stricken with an infection, already in the hospital, Thurman was denied a routine procedure called a dilation and curettage simply because weeks earlier Republican Governor Brian Kemp – fresh off the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade – had signed a law making performing it a felony with very few exceptions. And when the doctors and nurses had decided the exceptions applied it was already too late. It took two years for this to become public due to red tape, and ProPublica says they’ve found at least one other case of a preventable death from around same time – meaning that Thurman’s death is almost certainly the tip of the iceberg.
Kamala Harris shouldn’t bring Thurman’s family on stage during a rally in Georgia, nor should she sign a pic of the dead woman and sign it “I love you” while spelling her name wrong. Liberals should not start a “#SayHerName” social media blitz. Just simple facts about the consequences of Republican misrule – a little boy having to grow up without his mom – clearly and calmly stated.