Vice President Kamala Harris blamed Donald Trump and other Republicans on Friday for the deaths of two Georgia mothers who died shortly after the state’s abortion limits took effect, and warned the former president would block access to lifesaving care if he wins.
The Democrat repeatedly called Trump the architect of a “health care crisis” triggered when he appointed three anti-abortion justices to the U.S. Supreme Court who helped overturn Roe v. Wade two years ago. She said one-third of women now live in states with limits on the procedure.
“And these hypocrites want to start talking about this is in the best interest of women and children, but where have you been?” she said. “How dare they?
It was the first speech Harris has delivered focused directly on abortion since she emerged as the Democratic nominee, and she chose to deliver it in Georgia after ProPublica reports this week detailed the deaths of the women from abortion-related complications.
Both died shortly after Georgia’s 2019 anti-abortion law took effect when Roe was reversed. The law bans the procedure in most instances once a doctor can detect fetal cardiac activity, typically around six weeks of pregnancy and before many know they are pregnant.
“We know in America freedom is not to be given. It is not to be bestowed. It is ours by right,” Harris said. “That includes the fundamental freedom of a women to be able to make decisions about her own body and not have her government telling her what to do.”
Harris’ speech to hundreds of supporters, scheduled just two days ago, underscored how Democrats are intensifying their focus on abortion rights in Georgia and other closely-divided states where Harris needs significant support from swing voters to win.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Wednesday shows Harris and Trump are neck-and-neck in the state. Roughly 1 in 10 likely Georgia voters see abortion as the “biggest influence” on their vote.
State Republican leaders stand by the law. Gov. Brian Kemp, who signed the law in 2019, criticized Democrats for spreading “falsehoods and misinformation” about the limits. House Speaker Jon Burns, who also backed the law, said Republicans will aim to pass legislation next year to safeguard IVF treatment from legal challenges.
“The heartbeat law that we passed a few years back is a balanced approach to the issue,” said Burns.
A somber backdrop
This was no pep rally. Instead of the pump-up music of her last major rally in Atlanta, a gentle piano melody played in the background to reflect the serious tone of the speech.
An invitation-only crowd of mostly women packed the Cobb Energy Centre ballroom, with four all-women rows of VIPs situated directly behind the podium.
“These women should be here today,” said Democratic state Rep. Shea Roberts, who has shared the story of her abortion on the campaign trail. “This is personal for so many women here in Georgia, including me. If Georgia’s extreme ban had been in effect when I was pregnant 17 years ago, someone might be up here talking about me.”
Trump spokeswoman Morgan Ackley accused Democrats of spreading “dangerous misinformation” about the deaths of the two Georgia mothers, which she said could have been prevented. She and other Republicans noted the state law includes exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, fetal anomaly or to save the life of the mother.
“There was no reason that doctors cannot act swiftly to protect the lives of mothers,” she said.
Abortion rights advocates say the restrictions have sparked confusion over what medical services physicians and nurses can provide to women seeking abortions, and what they are forbidden to do.
“I became a doctor to take care of people to support women through their pregnancies to save lives,” said Dr. Keisha Reddick, a Savannah obstetrician. “But laws like Georgia’s abortion ban are designed to handcuff me.”
‘Call to action’
The visit, Harris’ second to the state within a month, comes days after ProPublica reported the two abortion-related deaths that came months after Georgia’s law limiting the procedure took effect.
Amber Thurman died after waiting for roughly 20 hours for a hospital to treat medical complications stemming from abortion pills. Candi Miller ordered abortion pills online and tried to terminate her pregnancy at home. An autopsy found fetal tissue that hadn’t been expelled.
Members of Thurman’s family joined Harris on Thursday during a livestreamed town hall event hosted by Oprah Winfrey.
The ProPublica report published Monday said Thurman sought the hospital’s help after traveling to North Carolina and taking an abortion pill in 2022. She was about nine weeks pregnant with twins at the time. When the abortion didn’t complete, Thurman developed sepsis. Twenty hours after she arrived at the emergency room in Henry County, her heart stopped on the operating table, ProPublica reported.
Thurman’s death took place two weeks after Georgia’s anti-abortion law took effect in 2022.
A second ProPublica article published Wednesday documented the death of Miller, a 41-year-old mother of three who also died in the months after Georgia’s abortion ban took place.
Doctors told Miller she might not survive another pregnancy after giving birth to her youngest child three years prior, family members told ProPublica, so when she learned she was pregnant, she ordered abortion pills online from overseas and tried to terminate her pregnancy at home.
Miller’s family said she was afraid of going to doctors for help once it was clear the abortion was incomplete. She died at home a few days later.
Michelle Nelson, a registered nurse and Clayton State University nursing professor, said abortion bans in Georgia and across the country are killing women.
“Here is your call to action. Y’all ready?” Nelson said. “Vote.”
Staff writers Tia Mitchell and Adam Van Brimmer contributed to this report.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
