Planned Parenthood Southeast Statement on ProPublica Reports of Preventable Maternal Deaths of Georgia Women

ProPublica, 9/16/24: “Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable.”

ProPublica, 9/18/24: “Afraid to Seek Care Amid Georgia’s Abortion Ban, She Stayed at Home and Died.”

ATLANTA, GA – Following the tragic, second-reported death of a Georgia woman under the state’s abortion law, Planned Parenthood Southeast Spokesperson, Jaylen Black, released the following statement:

“Amber Thurman and Candi Miller deserved to live full, healthy lives in their home state of Georgia. Today, we join countless others across the state and nation in grieving the preventable deaths of these two Black women, who tragically lost their lives due to delays and fears of accessing necessary medical care under Georgia’s abortion law. These women did nothing wrong except live in a state where access to critical reproductive healthcare is unjustly restricted and where we have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.

In both cases, Amber and Candi were delayed or afraid to seek the care they needed — procedures like D&C (dilation and curettage), which are essential not only for abortion but also for treating miscarriages and rare complications from abortions. For years, advocates, medical professionals, and legal experts have warned Georgia lawmakers that these abortion bans would endanger lives, especially for women and birthing people in need of this lifesaving care. Sadly, these warnings were ignored, and now we are witnessing the deadly consequences of a law that fails to protect patients and criminalizes physicians seeking to provide routine reproductive healthcare.

These heartbreaking deaths are not isolated incidents but a grim warning of more to come. Amber and Candi are among the first reported fatalities since the law went into effect, but we fear that many more have suffered similar fates without the opportunity to share their stories.

Planned Parenthood Southeast remains committed to providing high-quality, non-judgmental healthcare to all who need it, no matter what. We will continue advocating for the essential right to healthcare across Georgia, the Southeast, and the nation.”

ProPublica also reported that Georgia’s maternal death review committees, which investigate such cases, “often operate with a two-year lag behind the cases they examine, meaning that experts are only now beginning to delve into deaths that took place after the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion.”

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Planned Parenthood Southeast believes in the fundamental right of each individual to have access to high-quality, non-judgmental health care and prevention-focused education regardless of the individual's income, marital status, race, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, faith identity, or immigration status. Our mission is to provide comprehensive sexual health care through the provision of reproductive health services, education, and advocacy.