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MAGA media are attacking ProPublica’s comprehensive account of the role Georgia’s six-week abortion ban played in a woman's death

Special Programs Abortion Rights & Reproductive Health

Written by Chloe Simon

Published

Right-wing media are attacking a ProPublica piece scrutinizing the death of Amber Nicole Thurman, who died after she could not get an abortion in her state and then got delayed abortion care in a local hospital.

The piece elaborates on Thurman’s “preventable” death and Georgia’s strict abortion ban and vague language on “life of the mother” exceptions. Thurman had to travel to North Carolina for a dilation and curettage because she was past the six-week limit in Georgia, but traffic made her miss her appointment, so she received medication abortion instead. She suffered a rare complication, and doctors at a Georgia hospital failed to perform the needed D&C until it was too late.

Right-wing and anti-abortion media have denounced ProPublica’s report as “lies” and claimed that Georgia’s abortion law is not the reason for Thurman’s death.

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  • ProPublica’s report on Thurman’s death shows how Georgia’s abortion ban puts patients and doctors in harm’s way

    • On September 16, ProPublica published an investigative report detailing the death of Amber Nicole Thurman, who suffered rare complications after receiving abortion medication and then waited 20 hours to get a needed D&C. Thurman had scheduled a dilation and curettage in North Carolina because she was nine weeks pregnant and her home state of Georgia bans abortions after six weeks, but she missed her appointment due to heavy traffic. The clinic, which was four hours away from Thurman’s home, gave her a “two-pill abortion regimen” for her pregnancy, which was “well within the standard of care for that treatment.” After suffering complications from the medication, which are exceedingly rare, Thurman went to a Georgia hospital, where doctors waited 20 hours to perform a D&C. Thurman, who ProPublica described as being “otherwise healthy,” died at 28 years old. [ProPublica, 9/16/24] 
    • Abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol are incredibly safe and effective forms of medication. A CNN data analysis showed that abortion medication is “safer than penicillin and Viagra,” as both medications have higher death rates than mifepristone and misoprostol. Salon also noted that medication abortion “has a mortality rate of .0003%, which is 1 in every 377,000 cases. (Out of 377,000 women who give birth, in contrast, 83 will die.)” [CNN, 6/13/24; Salon, 9/19/24] 
    • In 2019, Georgia passed the LIFE Act, which bans abortion after six weeks and forced Thurman to travel to North Carolina for abortion care. Thurman was forced to make the long trip to North Carolina to obtain the D&C because Georgia had banned the procedure with “few exceptions.” ProPublica explained that Georgia law specifically “prohibits doctors from using any instrument ‘with the purpose of terminating a pregnancy.’” Thurman also did not meet the requirements for Georgia’s “lifesaving exceptions” for an abortion. ProPublica noted that “while removing fetal tissue is not terminating a pregnancy, medically speaking, the law only specifies it’s not considered an abortion to remove ‘a dead unborn child’ that resulted from a ‘spontaneous abortion’ defined as ‘naturally occurring’ from a miscarriage or a stillbirth.” Thurman had told her doctors that she was not experiencing a spontaneous abortion, as she had already taken abortion medication to end a pregnancy. [Reuters, 10/25/23; ProPublica, 9/16/24] 
    • The Guttmacher Institute has described bills like Georgia’s LIFE Act as “designed to be unworkable, containing vague and contradictory language and imposing cumbersome requirements.” In 2019, abortion activists had warned that the bill’s language was vague and could lead to harsh legal penalties for those who obtain abortions and those who perform them. Krystal Redman, the executive director of Spark Reproductive Justice Now, said that “eliminating a health care option” would be a “disservice” as Georgians are already “dying because of the maternal health here in Georgia.” In Thurman’s case, Salon also argued that “doctors still had every reason to be afraid” to perform a D&C because if “Thurman had received timely medical care and survived, a right-wing prosecutor could argue she wasn't that sick to begin with.” [Guttmacher, 7/29/24; Vox, 6/28/19; Salon, 9/19/24]

  • Right-wing and anti-abortion media are accusing ProPublica of “telling lies” and of incorrectly blaming Georgia’s abortion law for Thurman’s death

    • Anti-abortion activist Lila Rose attacked the piece, claiming that it’s “a complete lie.” She accused ProPublica of using “tragic medical malpractice cases that have nothing to do with making abortion illegal to justify legalizing the killing of babies on demand.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/24]
    • Right-wing social media personality Amuse suggested that the ProPublica piece was “misinformation” and that the Georgia abortion law “was NOT a factor in the death of Amber Thurman.” The post also stated, “Mrs. Thurman sought and received a medication abortion and tragically died from an infection caused by the abortion. Doctors were unable to save her by the time she made it to the ER and was diagnosed.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/24]
    • Anti-abortion group Live Action claimed that Thurman’s death was “preventable” and that “abortion and medical neglect killed her.” The group further claimed that “if abortion pills were illegal, Amber Thurman would be alive today. Her twins would be alive today.” [Twitter/X, 9/18/24, 9/18/24]
    • Grabien founder Tom Elliott wrote, “The pro-abortion crowd would have you believe that Amber Thurman would still be alive were abortion readily available in Georgia. But that’s not what the details reveal.” He continued, “ProPublica cited no evidence that the delayed procedure related to Georgia’s abortion ban and not the kind of routine delays so often plaguing understaffed hospitals.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/24]
    • Breitbart published a piece titled “Left-Wing ProPublica Ties Georgia Abortion Law to Woman’s Death Without Clear Evidence.” The article goes on to claim that “Thurman’s story, in addition to other tragic stories, is already being used by Democrats to promote their agenda of undoing all abortion restrictions by passing a federal law that allows abortion-on-demand.” [Breitbart, 9/18/24]
    • Anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life claimed, “Georgia’s pro-life law is not the reason for her death. Dangerous abortion drugs, and fearmongering about pro-life laws, are.” The group added, “shame on @ProPublica for their distortions.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/24]
    • Washington Examiner’s David Harsanyi wrote that the “ProPublica piece on Amber Thurman's death is a masterclass in hackery and conjecture.” He went on to say that there’s “literally nothing in the piece backing the claim that Thurman died because of GA's abortion law.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/24]
    • The Federalist wrote, “Media, Democrats Blame Pro-Lifers After The Abortion Pill They Promote Killed A Woman And Her Babies.” The piece claimed that “all evidence suggests Thurman’s death was due to medical negligence egged on by leftist fearmongering about lifesaving laws that provably protect women and babies from harm.” [The Federalist, 9/18/24]
    • Anti-abortion organization Secular Pro-Life claimed that “Amber Nicole Thurman died after legally obtaining abortion pills in North Carolina. Pro-abortion activists are falsely blaming Georgia law for her death.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/24]
    • Right-wing social media figures Keith and Kevin Hodge called ProPublica’s headline a “total lie,” saying that “she didn’t die because she couldn’t get an abortion. She took the abortion pills but the hospital waited too long to do surgery.” They also added that “the hospital is at fault.” [Twitter/X, 9/16/24]
    • The Family Research Council praised the work of Susan B. Anthony Pro Life and Live Action for “separating fact from fiction in the ProPublica story.” [Twitter/X, 9/17/24]