Two Georgia mothers, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, died in 2022 due to a lack of care likely linked to the state's abortion ban, according to a report from the nonprofit news outlet ProPublica. Both women experienced complications after taking abortion medications—complications that, as doctors emphasized, are extremely rare and entirely treatable.
'To read about a mom just trying to make the best decisions for herself and her family die from something completely preventable in the United States — I don’t think "tragedy" is a strong enough word,' said Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, an obstetrician/gynecologist and founder of Pegasus Health Justice Center in Dallas.
According to the report, Amber Thurman obtained abortion medication from a clinic in North Carolina shortly after Georgia enacted its six-week abortion ban. Days later, she sought help at a local hospital due to a severe infection caused by her body not expelling all of the fetal tissue.
“There should not have been a second of waiting for her to receive care,” Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi told CNN. “She should have immediately undergone a uterine aspiration,” a procedure that removes the contents of the uterus and is used in both abortion and miscarriage care.
However, ProPublica reported that Thurman did not receive surgical intervention to remove the fetal tissue for 20 hours. Her records don’t clarify why doctors delayed the procedure, but the report noted that Georgia had recently criminalized the procedure due to the state’s abortion ban following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade that summer. Thurman went into acute severe sepsis and organ failure, and her heart stopped during the surgery.
In a second case, Candi Miller did not seek hospital care at all, despite being bedridden for days after taking abortion pills. According to her son, as reported by ProPublica, she suffered in pain but avoided medical attention. A Clayton County medical examiner's report, obtained by CNN, cited a conversation with Miller’s husband, who said she "did not go to an ob/gyn due to the current legislations on pregnancies and abortions."
According to ProPublica, Candi Miller, like Thurman, hadn’t expelled all the fetal tissue, and she should have undergone a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure to prevent infection. Her autopsy report, obtained by CNN, revealed that she died from a combination of medications, including fentanyl and acetaminophen, both painkillers. The medical examiner noted she had no history of illicit drug use.
Georgia’s Department of Public Health told CNN that the findings of its maternal mortality review committee are confidential. However, ProPublica, citing unnamed sources, including committee members, reported that both Thurman and Miller’s deaths were deemed "preventable" and that Miller’s death was linked to the state’s abortion law.
These cases have reignited the political debate over abortion access. Vice President Kamala Harris commented this week, stating, “This is exactly what we feared when Roe was struck down.” Harris is scheduled to visit Georgia on Friday to address women’s reproductive rights further.
Opponents of abortion rights have blamed Thurman’s doctors for failing to provide immediate care and pointed to medication abortion itself as a concern. However, researchers who study medication abortion and doctors who prescribe it reiterated to CNN that the regimen is safe and provided guidance on how to handle rare complications.
How does a medication abortion work?
Medication abortion has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration since 2000 and is currently authorized for use up to 10 weeks of gestation.
Data shows that it is now the most common method of abortion in the US, accounting for about two-thirds of the approximately 1 million abortions reported in the formal healthcare system last year, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that advocates for abortion rights.
The procedure involves two medications: mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone is taken first; it blocks the hormone progesterone, which is essential for maintaining a pregnancy. This is followed by misoprostol, taken one or two days later, which causes the uterus to contract, leading to cramping and bleeding as the pregnancy tissue is expelled.
Dr. Moayedi explained that this process is 'physiologically really the same' as a miscarriage.
How common are complications?
Deaths following medication abortion are also extremely rare. Grossman highlighted that there were 32 reported deaths among individuals using mifepristone between 2000 and 2022, during which approximately 5.9 million women used the medication. His team reviewed the causes reported to the FDA and found that nearly half were likely not related to the abortion itself.
“I have cared for thousands of people who have had medication abortions,” said Moayedi, whose clinic provides comprehensive care, seeing patients before and after abortions in Texas, where the procedure is largely illegal. “I can count on one hand—less than one hand—the number who have had an infection afterward. So this is exceedingly rare.”
Moayedi emphasized that the rarity of complications is particularly notable because women can seek help immediately if they experience any issues. However, she expressed concern that, as suggested by the ProPublica reporting, access to care may be diminished in states with abortion bans.
What should patients do if they encounter complications?
Signs of complications can include fever, severe abdominal pain, and bleeding that soaks through more than two menstrual pads an hour for two consecutive hours, Moayedi noted. Grossman added that feeling very weak or experiencing nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea more than a day after taking the last pill may also indicate an infection.
He advises individuals with concerning symptoms to contact the clinic or service that provided the medications or to call the Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline at 1-833-246-2632. This free hotline is staffed by clinicians who can answer questions and provide support.
“However, if a patient experiences any of the symptoms mentioned and is unable to reach a clinician by phone,” Grossman said, “they should go to an emergency department.”
What about patients in states with abortion bans?
Doctors told CNN that individuals experiencing these complications can—and should—legally receive care for them anywhere, even in states with abortion bans, so they should not hesitate to seek emergency care at a hospital.
However, Moayedi emphasized that the responsibility cannot fall solely on the patient to ensure they receive care. Hospital systems must understand the laws and have plans in place that allow physicians to provide the necessary treatment. Grossman also noted that "the same complications that can arise from medication abortion can also occur with miscarriage, and the treatment is identical."
"I would never advise a patient to lie, but I am very concerned about reports of delayed care for patients in states with abortion bans when they present with complications after an abortion—even though the law shouldn't apply in these situations," he said. He mentioned that his team has encountered similar reports of care delays for other patients. "Doctors can treat patients experiencing bleeding or infection without needing to know whether they took any medications."
He advises clinicians not to ask patients whether they used medications to terminate their pregnancies, as this question does not impact their care and may increase legal risks for the patients instead.
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