Following the release of private information about the deaths of two women, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, who experienced problems from abortion drugs, Georgia’s state health officer, Dr. Kathleen Toomey, fired the entire maternal mortality review committee.
After an internal inquiry failed to determine the source of the leak, the committee that determined the fatalities were preventable was disbanded.
Citing legal restrictions on sharing private information, Toomey said in a letter that a new committee would be established through an application procedure.
Miller passed away from similar difficulties after failing to seek medical attention, while Thurman’s death was said to have been caused by a delayed reaction to an infection brought on by medication abortion.
The care that doctors can legally provide under Georgia’s 6-week abortion restriction, which permits emergency therapies, is unclear, according to pro-life organizations, who blame this confusion on false information spread by pro-abortion advocates. Reinstituted in 2022 following the demise of Roe v. Wade, the statute continues to be a source of controversy as proponents on opposing sides discuss its effects on maternal health and medical care.
Key Points:
- Dr. Kathleen Toomey disbanded Georgia s maternal mortality review committee after leaks of confidential abortion-related cases.
- The dismissed committee determined the deaths of two women from abortion pill complications were preventable.
- Amber Thurman s death stemmed from delayed treatment of an infection, while Candi Miller avoided care despite severe complications.
- Pro-life advocates claim misinformation about Georgia s abortion laws caused confusion about the legality of emergency care.
- Georgia s 6-week abortion ban, reinstated in 2022, remains at the center of debates over maternal health and reproductive rights.
Following the disclosure of information about the review, Georgia Commissioner and State Health Officer Dr. Kathleen Toomey fired every member of the committee that looked into the deaths of two women who experienced problems with the abortion pill.
According to papers obtained by ProPublica, the state maternal mortality assessment committee concluded that the abortion pill-related complications that claimed the lives of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller were preventable. According to a letter purportedly addressed by Toomey to the committee, all committee members were fired after an inquiry failed to identify which individuals were accountable for the information leak.
Toomey’s letter states that although the confidential agreement that committee members sign and O.C.G.A. 31-2A-16 forbid the disclosure of such information, confidential information provided to the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC or committee) was improperly shared with outside individual(s). As a result, the present MMRC is being dissolved with immediate effect, and a fresh application procedure will be used to fill all member seats.
According to ProPublic, Thurman passed away after medical professionals neglected to treat an infection brought on by the abortion drug for more than 20 hours. According to ProPublica, Miller died in 2022 after enduring comparable issues and choosing not to seek medical help.
Pro-life activists maintain that the two women’s deaths were caused by abortion supporters’ false information, which left them unsure of the legal scope of medical care that physicians could offer.
In a September statement, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser noted that Amber Thurman and Candi Miller passed away due to complications from harmful abortion medications and a lack of proper, fully legal emergency care. Like pro-life legislation in every other state, Georgia’s statute permits treatment for ectopic pregnancy, emergency care, and miscarriage care. The statutes use straightforward, widely recognized legal terminology and do not punish women who have abortions. If proponents of abortion did not cause misunderstanding, there would be none. Today should see the survival of Amber, Candi, and their children. We will not stop calling out Democrats who are endangering the lives of countless people.
Following the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Roe v. Wade, which upheld the legality of abortion nationwide, Georgia’s six-week abortion restriction went into force in 2022. Despite legal issues, the law was finally restored in October.
When asked for comment, the Georgia Department of Public Health referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to Toomey’s letter.
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