The family of Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old Georgia mother who died in 2022 following a delayed medical response after a medication abortion, is pursuing legal action, asserting that her death was preventable.
Thurman’s family are highlighting concerns about medical care delays linked to restrictive abortion laws and has become a focal point in the national abortion debate.
Amber Thurman’s ordeal began when she took FDA-approved abortion pills, but soon after experienced severe complications. On August 18, 2022, she was admitted to Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge, Georgia, vomiting blood and suffering intense pain.
Despite her worsening condition, doctors reportedly waited 19 hours before performing the essential dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure to remove retained fetal tissue.
Tragically, Thurman’s heart stopped during the procedure, and she died the next day from septic shock, according to her death certificate.
Thurman’s family, represented by prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, has now taken steps to seek legal accountability for the delays they believe contributed to her death.
Crump has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the decisions made by hospital staff and has highlighted that the medical records detailing the timeline of Thurman’s treatment are still unavailable.
“We believe this was medical malpractice,” Thurman’s sister, Andrika Thurman, said, noting that her sister’s death could have been avoided with timely intervention. “Amber’s life was cut short, and her son Messiah lost his mother because of preventable delays in medical care.”
The family’s pursuit of justice gained new momentum after a ProPublica report revealed findings from Georgia’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
A confidential source provided the committee’s report to the family, disclosing that the committee found a “good chance” that an earlier D&C procedure could have saved Thurman’s life.
The report, which assessed Thurman’s deteriorating health hour by hour, cited a significant impact on her outcome due to the delayed surgical care.
Attorney Crump has voiced concerns about the chilling effect of restrictive abortion laws on emergency medical care in states like Georgia, which recently reinstated a six-week abortion ban.
He pointed to doctors’ fears of legal repercussions in cases involving abortion care, suggesting that such concerns may have delayed Thurman’s treatment.
“No family should have to endure this kind of preventable loss,” Crump stated.
Amber’s mother, Shanette Williams, recalled her daughter’s last moments, saying:
“She was giving me instructions on how to care for her son, Messiah. She was fighting to hold on, and then the next time I saw her, she was gone.”
The family hopes their lawsuit will lead to greater accountability and changes in how restrictive abortion policies impact medical care in emergency situations.
“We want to make sure Amber’s death isn’t in vain,” her mother added. “We want her story to change things.”
