What doctors could have done to prevent Amber Thurman and Candi Miller's deaths
Two OB-GYNs explained Friday how medical professionals could have acted to save Amber Thurman and Candi Miller after they took abortion drugs following media reports that blamed the two women's deaths on Georgia's abortion law.
Dr. Christina Francis and Dr. Ingrid Skop shared their observations about the two cases during a webinar hosted by the national pro-life grassroots advocacy organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
Francis, the CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, is a board-certified OB-GYN working for a hospital in Indiana. She believes the actions of the doctors responsible for Thurman's care amount to "gross medical negligence," stating that any medical professional should have been able to tell from the woman's condition that she needed a dilation and curettage.
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"The medical panel in Georgia deemed her death preventable," Francis stated. "I agree with that 100%."
"But it's interesting to note that they did not actually say, and nor have the doctors that cared for Amber, that the delay in appropriate care was due to Georgia law because it could not have been due to Georgia law."
Thurman was a 28-year-old single mother who obtained abortion drugs from a clinic in North Carolina in 2022 after learning she was pregnant with twins. Several days after taking the pills, Thurman started developing an infection because some of her babies' remains were still inside her uterus.
A ProPublica article published Monday about the mother's death reported that Thurman experienced pain and vaginal bleeding after taking the second abortion pill. She vomited blood and passed out, and an ambulance took her to the hospital after her boyfriend called 911.
Doctors diagnosed Thurman with acute severe sepsis, and while they discussed performing a D&C, medical professionals did not take her to the operating room until 20 hours after she arrived at the hospital. By then, Thurman's condition had worsened, and she died on the operating table.
Skop, an OB-GYN with over 30 years of experience, questioned if the doctors were even aware that sepsis is a potential side effect associated with taking mifepristone. The drug mifepristone is the first one taken during the abortion pill regimen.
"Or were they gaslit by pro-abortion organizations who describe these drugs as 'safer than Tylenol?" Skop asked.
In its Monday report, ProPublica implied that doctors feared to act due to Georgia's abortion law, which prohibits abortions after the baby's heartbeat becomes detectable. While a D&C can be used in an elective abortion to end the lives of unborn children, the procedure would have removed the remains of Thurman's deceased twins in this case.
"Georgia's abortion law did not cause her death," Francis stated. "Per reports, her babies were no longer alive when she arrived at the hospital, so this law would not have even applied in her circumstance."
As an OB-GYN, Francis made it clear that she has treated pregnant patients with life-threatening complications, whether they be natural or due to abortion. Even though Indiana has banned almost all abortions, with a few exceptions, Francis said she has never feared that intervening when a pregnant woman's life was at risk would result in her facing prosecution.
In Thurman's case, the OB-GYN maintained that the woman's death could have been avoided if several things had happened differently.
First, Francis questioned whether the facility in North Carolina where Thurman obtained the abortion pills provided her with all of the information about the side effects associated with the abortion pill.
As ProPublica reported, the North Carolina facility had told Thurman it could not keep her appointment for a surgical abortion, and the staff provided her with abortion pills instead. ProPublica did not report whether the facility scheduled a follow-up appointment with Thurman or if the staff told her who to contact if she experienced complications.
"Where was her informed consent? Did this employee, who presumably was not even a medical professional, talk to her about the risks associated with these drugs so that before she took them, she knew the inherent dangers of them?" Francis asked.
She also believes that the hospital could have played a part in preventing Thurman's death if doctors had given the woman antibiotics right away and performed a D&C much sooner.
In addition to Thurman, the two OB-GYNS also assessed Miller's case, the second woman ProPublica reported on.
Miller was a 41-year-old woman who suffered from several health conditions, including lupus, diabetes and hypertension. She feared that these conditions would make carrying a pregnancy to term too risky, so she ordered abortion pills online through a website called Aid Access.
"Certainly, these conditions can cause life-threatening complications of pregnancy, though they can often be successfully managed. She should have been immediately referred to a high-risk obstetrician who could have evaluated her as an individual and determined whether or not her pregnancy posed a threat to her life," Francis said.
ProPublica did not report how far along Miller was when she took the abortion pills. A few days later, the mother started experiencing pain. An autopsy found the remains of her unborn child still inside her body. It also discovered a "lethal combination" of painkillers, including fentanyl. Miller did not seek help from a doctor because she thought she could be prosecuted due to Georgia's abortion law.
"Every obstetrician will care for women in these devastating circumstances. But we are overwhelmed by caring for women suffering these unnecessary complications," Skop said.
"And we seek to advocate for women who have been harmed, but cannot speak for themselves," she continued. "Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, this is the honest discussion we need to be having as we discuss Amber Thurman and Candy Miller's devastating stories."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
