Kamala Harris discusses death of Georgia's Amber Thurman during 'Call Her Daddy' appearance

In a new interview with the popular podcast "Call Her Daddy," Vice President Kamala Harris once again voiced her concern over recent abortion restrictions, discussing the death of a Georgia mother who died after doctors delayed treatment due to the state's so-called heartbeat law.

In the roughly 40-minute interview, taped last week, the Democratic presidential nominee spoke about the grit it takes to be a woman seeking public office, the toughness her mother instilled in her and the importance of reproductive rights in this election.

As part of the interview, Harris recalled a conversation she had with the mother of Amber Thurman, a Stockbridge woman who died after doctors delayed treatment out of concerns over Georgia's abortion restrictions.

Harris stated that Thurman's death was heartbreaking and could have been prevented.

"She was living in Georgia, and she couldn't receive care there because she was past six weeks. And so she ended up going to another state, and … she couldn't get there on time. And because the other state had been so overwhelmed by all these women coming from all these southern states who couldn't get treatment in their own state, her window for her appointment had closed and instead of having a surgical procedure, she had medication and basically went back home and then had some complications and went to the hospital because she was bleeding," Harris told host Alex Cooper.

Thurman's story has been one that the Harris campaign and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, have discussed recently. Walz spoke about Thurman's death during last week's vice presidential debate.

The interview was part of a broader media outreach effort by Harris Walz, as the Democrats seek to boost their support in the final 30 days of the campaign against Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance.

Who was Amber Thurman?

ProPublica reports that in August 2022, Thurman visited Piedmont Henry Hospital after experiencing a rare complication from an abortion pill. 

The report reveals that what should have been a routine procedure was delayed due to concerns that it violated the 2019 Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, also known colloquially as the Georgia heartbeat bill.  

In Thurman’s case, ProPublica reports a procedure was not performed until 20 hours after she was admitted, which at that time was too late. Thurman had developed a severe infection and was already in organ failure. 

ProPublica, which is a nonprofit investigative journalism organization based in New York City, also reported on a second Georgia woman, Candi Miller, who died after the state's abortion ban took effect. 

Harris has been telling Thurman's story on the campaign trail, calling Thurman's death one of the "consequences of Donald Trump's actions."

In September, Thurman's mother told her daughter's story during a Harris campaign town hall in Michigan.

"Amber was not a statistic. She was loved by a family - a strong family," Shanette Williams said.

After the debate, the Thurman family released a statement commending Walz for telling the 28-year-old mother's story on television.

"The fight for justice for Amber is a fight for every woman's right to make decisions about her own body and access the medical care she needs," the statement read in part. "We will not stop until these dangerous laws are repealed, and no more lives are lost. Until then, we must keep saying her name: Amber Thurman!"

Georgia's abortion laws in limbo

Georgia’s law was passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019 but has been challenged in court since passing. After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, the law effectively prohibited abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy, which is before women often know they’re pregnant. That’s when cardiac activity in an embryo’s cells can be detected by ultrasound. The law banned abortions once a "detectable human heartbeat" was present — with some exceptions.

Before the law kicked in, there were more than 4,400 abortions each month in Georgia. That has dropped a monthly average of about 2,400 since the ban began in 2022 according to data from the Society of Family Planning.

This week, a Fulton County judge blocked the law, arguing that it violates women’s rights to liberty and privacy guaranteed by the state constitution.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that the law infringed on the liberty "of a woman to control her own body, to decide what happens to it and in it, and to reject state interference with her healthcare choices." He also wrote that Georgia gives women a constitutional right to privacy that includes making personal health decisions.

The judge wrote that his ruling reverts Georgia’s abortion law to its prior status, which allowed abortions until viability, which is generally considered to be about 22 to 24 weeks gestational age.

McBurney had previously declared the law invalid in 2022 prior to the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe v. Wade.

Republican state Attorney General Chris Carr plans has appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court, which has overturned McBurney's decision on the issue before.

As legal battles continue, Georgia clinics are preparing to resume providing abortions for up to 22 weeks. Experts suggest the ruling could temporarily ease the burden on neighboring states like North Carolina, where many Georgia residents had been traveling for abortion care under the six-week ban. The outcome of the appeal could have wide-reaching implications, both in Georgia and across the Southern states, where abortion bans remain prevalent.  

GeorgiaKamala Harris2024 Election