Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother's Death Was Preventable.

[Dennis Donovan]

ProPublica

Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable.

At least two women in Georgia died after they couldn’t access legal abortions and timely medical care in their state, ProPublica has found. This is one of their stories.


Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old mother, died after she couldn’t access legal abortion care in Georgia. The state’s maternal mortality review committee found that her death was preventable and said a delay in care had a “large” impact. Credit hoto Illustration by Andrea Wise/ProPublica. Photo by Nydia Blas for ProPublica.

by Kavitha Surana
Sept. 16, 5 a.m. EDT

In her final hours, Amber Nicole Thurman suffered from a grave infection that her suburban Atlanta hospital was well-equipped to treat.

She’d taken abortion pills and encountered a rare complication; she had not expelled all of the fetal tissue from her body. She showed up at Piedmont Henry Hospital in need of a routine procedure to clear it from her uterus, called a dilation and curettage, or D&C.

But just that summer, her state had made performing the procedure a felony, with few exceptions. Any doctor who violated the new Georgia law could be prosecuted and face up to a decade in prison.

Thurman waited in pain in a hospital bed, worried about what would happen to her 6-year-old son, as doctors monitored her infection spreading, her blood pressure sinking and her organs beginning to fail.

It took 20 hours for doctors to finally operate. By then, it was too late.

/snip

[ck4829]

1. Cowardice from the healthcare system to the legislators of that state all around

[erronis]

9. Agree. I think if some doctors stood up to these draconian edicts that the magat state governments would back down.

At least that is my hope!

[harumph]

12. If the doctors "stood up" they'd have their medical licenses revoked. Christo-Fascists aren't playing around.

[erronis]

18. I doubt that the legislatures and governors can revoke medical licenses.

Altho many may try to pressure the boards. The stench from trying might poison their campaign.

[ck4829]

19. Then maybe it's time for patients to stand up then

If patients are going to be treated like trash, then I guess their money is also trash.

[Darwins_Retriever]

2. But you do know the story that Republicans give

The result of the abortion pills was the cause of the infection. Of course they will conveniently forget that if abortion was available there probably would be no problem with the termination.

[2naSalit]

3. ...

*rump/SCOTUS killed these women.

[ecstatic]

4. K&R 😡

[Timeflyer]

5. Are there any US laws that force doctors to delay lifesaving medical care for men? Let's start asking.

[et tu]

7. and whatever happened

to do no harm?

[surfered]

6. GOP policies are dangerous for American women.

[Botany]

8. Women in America and those of us who love 'em need to stop these tragedies with a blue wave.

https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/every-full-moon/episode10-tsunami/welcome.html

[Clouds Passing]

10. Republicans are all about killing, they are the party of death, they delight in genocide

[Enola]

15. Thank you.

I post this same message everywhere. When will anyone listen? If we let them retake the whitehouse they will kill millions of Americans before they're stopped. Their bloodlust is insatiable.

[Clouds Passing]

11. Amber

[Farmer-Rick]

13. It was an infection

She died of an infection.

The doctors waited 20 hours to even deal with the infection.

If someone shows up with a gun shot wound would they let him die because he may have been involved in illegal actions? Would they not treat an STD and let the person die because it may have been contracted due to adultary or sex out of wedlock, or prostitution?

Why are these cowardly doctors and hospital administrations choosing to ignore these women's medical issues because of abortion?

Yeah, a doctor can be prosecuted if they abort a fetus, but they can face malpractice suits at any time. They can be held liable for assisting if they fail to report certain injuries. No one is turning away these infected and injured people who got that way under suspicious circumstances.

I think these hospital staff and doctors should be held accountable despite stupid laws around abortion.

Letting a victim of gun shots, knife wounds and STDs die because you think they got injured under suspicious circumstances is illegal. But apparently it's ok if you suspect an abortion.

[Clouds Passing]

17. The Republican party punishes women especially when vulnerable

[myohmy2]

14. someone...

...needs to be charged in her death with manslaughter or something...

...a woman dies a painful needless preventable death and no one is responsible...?

...now a 6 year old boy is without a mother...

...fuckin' republicans...

[B.See]

16. Like I just said in another thread,

Domestic Terrorism.