Deciding to terminate a pregnancy can be a tough decision for any woman.
When it comes to abortion access, Black women are heavily impacted by abortion bans. That has led many women of color in states with strict bans to travel across the country to obtain the procedure.
Shanette Williams knows the emotional pain that strict bans can have on families. Williams is the mother of a Georgia woman who died in August 2022 after complications from an abortion she received out of the state.
During a Michigan rally for Vice President Kamala Harris, Williams shared the tragic story about her daughter whose life could have been saved if medical providers provided a necessary procedure in time.
Amber Thurman, a Black mother of a six-year-old son, died after complications from a medication abortion, igniting a national debate over the controversial and strict abortion bans in the United States.
“Initially I did not want the public to know my pain,” Williams told the crowd during a Unite America rally, hosted by Oprah Winfrey.“I wanted to go through it in silence, but I realized that it was selfish.”
Williams emphasized that her 28-year-old daughter was not just a statistic, but a loved member of a strong family. “You’re looking at a mother that is broken,” Williams said.
Many Black women live in states with strict bans
Meanwhile, the National Partnership for Women & Families and In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda highlighted the threat state abortion bans pose to Black women in America.
In fact, nearly 57 percent of Black women aged 15-49 live in states with abortion bans or where state lawmakers are pushing legislation to further restrict the procedure, according to a joint report released by the organizations.
Thurman and many other women have undergone medication abortions, a common method across the nation.
Sixty-three percent of abortions “in U.S. states without total bans were medication abortions in 2023,” according to the Guttmacher Institute, a leading research and policy organization studying reproductive health.
Also, increasing maternal suicide rates and mental health issues highlight the need to understand the stressors and systemic challenges faced by women, particularly Black mothers.
Thurman’s tragic story
Thurman’s case has drawn significant attention due to the circumstances surrounding her death. According to a ProPublica investigation, Thurman became pregnant with twins unexpectedly in 2022 and sought a medication abortion in North Carolina.
However, after taking the medication, Thurman became septic due to excess tissue in her uterus that did not shed from her body, which led to a serious infection. Thurman needed what’s called a dilation and curettage (D&C), a procedure in which tissue is removed from inside the uterus.
But Georgia’s strict six-week abortion ban, which went into effect in July 2022, considers a D&C a felony if performed outside of specific circumstances. The law, often referred to as the “heartbeat bill,” was passed in November 2022 and includes exceptions for cases of rape, incest, and when the health of the mother is at risk.
This law could land doctors behind bars for up to 10 years, according to news sources. As a result, doctors at Piedmont Henry Hospital in suburban Atlanta delayed performing the procedure for 20 hours.
Thurman’s health began to rapidly decline. And by the time doctors finally took her to surgery, it was too late. Thurman’s heart stopped on the operating table.
Death was ‘preventable’
The Georgia Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which is tasked with examining pregnancy-related deaths to improve maternal health, concluded that Thurman’s death was “preventable.” The committee added that the hospital’s delay in providing the D&C due to state law “had a large impact on her fatal outcome.”
Thurman’s death is the first publicly reported instance of a woman dying from delayed care tied to a state abortion law, according to media reports.
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee hoping to defeat Donald Trump, has been vocal about the need to address the impact of strict abortion bans. “The loss of two women in Georgia is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake in November,” Harris said during a recent visit to Atlanta.
She also continues to emphasize the importance of protecting women’s reproductive rights and ensuring that women have access to safe and timely medical care. Although Democrats have accused Trump of implementing a national abortion ban, the former president has debunked those claims.
In the wake of Thurman’s death, there have been calls for legislative action to address the gaps in abortion care and protect women’s health. Medical experts and advocates argue that clear and scientifically grounded exceptions are needed to prevent further tragedies like Thurman’s.
Here’s the full ProPublica investigation.
