On Aug. 19, 2022, Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28-year-old Black mother, died of septic shock after a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia delayed giving her a life-saving abortion procedure. Over two years after her death, the official maternal mortality review committee of Georgia concluded that Thurman’s death was preventable, as doctors could have performed the procedure to save her life, but didn’t due to Georgia’s restrictive policies on abortion.
Just weeks before Thurman decided to terminate her pregnancy, Georgia enacted a law to restrict most abortions after the six-week mark, which Thurman’s pregnancy had passed. Unable to receive an abortion in her state, Thurman drove to a clinic in North Carolina to get a surgical procedure called a D&C (dilation and curettage) but, instead, was given a two-pill regimen — which is typically given to terminate pregnancies up to 11 weeks.
Complications from the pills led to pain and unexpected amounts of bleeding, and Thurman was rushed to a Georgia hospital. There, doctors determined that they would likely need to perform a D&C — which, under Georgia’s new laws, was illegal in most cases. Over 16 hours passed between doctors knowing a D&C would likely be necessary and actually performing it, because Thurman’s caretakers were not certain of when the D&C would be legal to perform due to the wording of the laws. During this delay, her blood pressure began to drop and her organs began to fail. Thurman’s heart stopped during the surgery, and the committee concluded that performing the D&C earlier would have had a high chance of saving her life.
In August 2024, a Her Campus survey asked Gen Zers’ opinions on the issues that mattered most to them in the 2024 election. At the top of Gen Z’s concerns was reproductive health care, a topic that’s been in the limelight more than ever since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. While many people think of Roe v. Wade and reproductive rights as buzzwords that refer primarily to voluntary abortions, there’s a much-overlooked component to the importance of reproductive health care — preventing maternal mortality.
As a Black woman, I’ve known about health disparities for my demographic since I was a teenager.
Katheryn Prather, student at Emory University
According to the CDC, more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable. Furthermore, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than white women. Georgia is on the higher end of this rate, as 85% of pregnancy-related deaths in Georgia from 2019-2021 were determined to be preventable, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
As a Black woman, I’ve known about health disparities for my demographic since I was a teenager. My own mother had a dangerous delivery when she had me. She suffered from issues related to her blood pressure, not uncommon for Black women. In conversations with family and friends, I’ve heard stories about the dismissal of symptoms or not paying close attention to a patient’s complaint, leading to complications in what could be easily-treatable conditions. These experiences aren’t exclusive to pregnant women — but during pregnancy, at least two lives are at stake.
I know racialized medicine is to blame, and I know that racist systems have affected the way Black people approach the healthcare system. Cases like Thurman’s reinforce the ongoing distrust between the Black community and medical professionals.
In many cases, the possible solutions to the problem are well-known. In Thurman’s case, the solution was known. But in this post-Roe America, more and more of these solutions are being criminalized under the guise of “protecting” people. For Thurman, the root issue was not the choice she made to get an abortion, but the lack of choices that were available to her living in Georgia.
These women were denied health care, and it resulted in death. This shouldn’t be happening in the USA.”
Montana Jackson, student at Emory University
Thinking about Thurman’s case brings me discomfort, fear, and resignation. And I am not alone in this. Talking about this tragedy to other Black women in Georgia, and my peers in college, many of the same emotions came up.
When freshman at Emory University Camille Gardner found out about Thurman’s case, she had a striking reaction. “As much as I’m saddened, I am not surprised,” she says. “I am from Arkansas, where the rate of maternal mortality is disproportionately high.” Arkansas has been enforcing a complete abortion ban since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
Other Emory students are emotional. “This was an avoidable death and that is what makes it so sad,” junior Montana Jackson says. “These women were denied health care, and it resulted in death. This shouldn’t be happening in the USA.” Akosua Opoku, a freshman, says she was “disgusted and upset,” and stated that “death should not have to be an option” when it comes to caring for pregnant Black women. Similarly, senior Chrissi Scott says, “I was horrified and extremely disheartened. I felt hopeless and sorry for her and her family.” Scott also tells me, “I’m scared, honestly — I have contraceptive options that I take like birth control, but that can fail,” she says. “My mother was taking birth control when she learned she was pregnant with me and my sister. It makes me paranoid.”
Fear and distrust in the system is a trend among Black women at Emory in Georgia, as Gardner expressed, “I’m new to the state, but I don’t have much trust in many systems under this current political climate.”
As a young Black woman, I want to be able to live my life without the government being more in my uterus than protecting my school from gun violence.
Camille Gardner, student at Emory University
The consequences of abortion restrictions on Black women are a clear concern for voters. One way to combat the hopelessness is to vote for candidates you believe will support your beliefs. “I was always going to vote for VP [Kamala] Harris, because her policies align the most with issues I care about,” Scott says, “but this legal battle on reproductive rights is one of the main issues that I want to be addressed.”
Gardener says, “[Harris’s] opponent would like to strip my rights away by bringing church and state back together.” Jackson points out the hypocrisy of focusing on abortion bans in a country full of gun violence. “As a young Black woman,” she says, “I want to be able to live my life without the government being more in my uterus than protecting my school from gun violence.”
Born and raised in Georgia, Jackson is very familiar with the politics of her state and their impact on day-to-day life. She says, “As a native Georgian, I have seen politics and legislation constantly changing with the momentum of the blue wave. However, there are a lot of racist and sexist components buried in the foundation of Georgia. Going to Planned Parenthood or the health department can be daunting because of it. I hope it gets better for all in the future.”
Along with staying informed, voting in favor of reproductive freedom down the ballot this November is an important step to solving this crisis. If you or someone you know is pursuing a medical degree, talk to them about issues of medical racism, racialized medicine, and health disparities. (There’s a reason many schools require humanities classes!) Finally, keep up with current politics wherever you vote, write to congresspeople about your concerns, and find organizations and communities that support educating people about these issues. Most of all, stay hopeful, and remember that you have the capacity to help enact change.