Pro-lifers seek to combat misinformation over Georgia women who died after failed abortion

Image Credit: Kateryna Hliznitsova and Volodymyr Hryshchenko via Unsplash

Pro-lifers, including UK doctor, Dr Dermot Kearney, have sought to combat misinformation after the pro-abortion lobby used the tragic cases of US women who have died after a failed chemical abortion, to claim that pro-life laws harm women. 

This month, two cases have come to light of two mothers from the US state Georgia, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who have both tragically died in 2022 after obtaining a chemical abortion.

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade as abortion was not considered a human right in the US Constitution, which gave the states the authority to determine their own abortion laws. 

Shortly after, in July 2022, Georgia’s heartbeat law came into effect, which bans abortions after a heartbeat has been detected, except in cases of rape, incest, medical emergency or if a doctor believes the baby will not survive outside the womb.

Ms Thurman reportedly travelled to North Carolina at nine weeks pregnant to abort her twins. Whilst she was supposed to have a D&C (dilation and curettage) procedure, due to delays, she was given abortion pills to take and she went home. Four days later, she vomited, passed out, and was admitted to hospital. She had developed sepsis after the abortion failed, and the emergency procedure she needed, a D&C which could have saved her life, was delayed. By the time Ms Thurman had surgery, she was in organ failure and died during the procedure.

In the second case, Ms Miller had multiple health complications where she feared her pregnancy could be dangerous for her, therefore, when the mother of three discovered she was pregnant again, she legally obtained DIY abortion pills online and tragically died days later at home. An autopsy discovered an incomplete abortion and a combination of lethal painkillers in her system.

In light of these cases, the pro-abortion lobby, including Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, have attempted to use these tragic deaths to claim that pro-life laws are harmful to women.

According to two fact check analyses by Live Action on both Ms Thurman’s case and Ms Miller’s case, ProPublica, who have been reporting on the cases, have blamed Georgia’s abortion ban for the deaths of these women, when in fact their deaths was a result of a failed abortion and a failure to provide timely treatment.

“[Miller] had a failed abortion that needed treatment and she did not obtain medical treatment. Of course, that is what led to her death,” said OB/GYN Dr. Ingrid Skop to Live Action News, speaking of Ms Millers case.  

In Ms Miller’s case, ProPublica also claim that she did not see a doctor out of fear of being prosecuted for the abortion, however, Live Action states that the abortion law in Georgia does not prosecute women for obtaining an abortion. Additionally, her medical condition could allow her to legally obtain an abortion for “medical reasons”. It is important to note that as multiple medical experts have testified, an abortion, that intends to deliberately kill the child, is never necessary to save a mother’s life. Instead, the safe and respectful delivery of a baby with the attempt to save their life, even if they die as a result, is accepted by pro-life laws.

Shortly after news broke of Ms Miller, US Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, took to social media to also falsely claim that Georgia’s pro-life laws are harming women. 

“A young mother from Georgia should be alive today, raising her son and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school. This is exactly what we feared when Roe v. Wade was struck down. In more than 20 states, Trump Abortion Bans prevent doctors from providing basic medical care.” Kamala Harris said on X.

“We must pass a law to restore reproductive freedom. When I am President of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law. Lives depend on it,” she added.

However, pro-life doctor in the UK, Dr Dermot Kearney, who is known to have saved many lives by providing women with the abortion pill reversal, was quick to correct the misinformation.

“The young mother in question died as a result of medical negligence after she had already undergone a legal chemical abortion. Serious life-threatening complications are common after chemical abortions and dozens of mothers have died in recent years following such procedures,” Dr Dermot Kearney replied.

In support of Dr Kearney’s claims, Live Action’s fact check analysis also highlighted that multiple peer-reviewed studies have discovered that there are severe side effects to the abortion pills, such as haemorrhage, sepsis and death, and that despite the claim that abortion pills are “safe”, they are in fact more dangerous than a first-trimester surgical abortion. The abortion pills also come with a black box warning for side effects such as sepsis and heavy prolonged bleeding.

It is not unusual to see the abortion lobby exploit tragic cases of women dying to claim that pro-life laws do not protect women. The tragic case of Savita Halappanavar, who died in Galway’s Hospital in 2013 after contracting sepsis during her pregnancy, which ultimately led to a miscarriage. Her death was a result of medical negligence where an inquiry discovered 13 missed opportunities to save Ms Halappanavar’s life before her death. However, the pro-abortion lobby used this case in their campaign to repeal the 8th Amendment, with the claim that the abortion restrictions in Ireland was what caused her death.

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute commented saying: “it is very tragic to hear of more women who have sadly passed after undergoing a so called “safe and legal” abortion, but bravo to all the pro-lifers, including, Dr Kearney, for speaking up about the misinformation that has been going round as a result of these cases.”

“Those advocating for abortion would like us to believe that pro-life laws harm women, whilst ignoring the real risks that come with abortions. It is abortion that harms, and it is the pro-life laws that ensures that both women and unborn babies are protected.”