Vice President Harris is visiting Georgia on Friday and is expected to highlight her support for abortion rights, likely focusing on the stories of two women who died because of the state's abortion ban passed by Republicans after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“The Vice President will highlight the stark contrast between her commitment to fighting for reproductive freedom and the devastating and deadly consequences of Trump's anti-abortion laws,” her campaign said in a release.
Georgia is a battleground state, and Harris' visit came after ProPublica reported on the deaths. Amber Thurman and Candy Miller.
Thurman died from complications from a medication abortion after waiting 20 hours at a suburban Atlanta hospital after seeking medical help for an incomplete abortion, but a state medical board investigation found her death was largely due to delays in treatment at the hospital.
Miller died after refusing to seek medical care for complications from the abortion pill, and her family said she was afraid to seek medical care after it became clear the abortion was incomplete.
“This is exactly what we feared when Roe was overturned,” Harris said of Thurman. Tuesday's statement“In more than 20 states, Trump's abortion bans have prevented doctors from providing basic medical care, leaving women bleeding in parking lots, turned away from emergency rooms and never able to have children again.”
Georgia law bans abortions after fetal heartbeat can be detected, which usually occurs around the sixth week of pregnancy and before many women even know they're pregnant. Thurman's death came two weeks after the law went into effect in 2022.
Former President Trump has repeatedly bragged about his role in overturning Roe, and the speech is part of an effort by Harris' campaign to directly tie the state abortion ban to Trump.
Harris released a new ad on Wednesday featuring the testimony of Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky woman who was impregnated by her stepfather as a child.
Duvall has become a vocal advocate for reproductive rights, especially in her home state, where abortion is totally banned with no exceptions.
She has been on a bus tour for Harris' reproductive rights campaign in Pennsylvania and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
In response to ProPublica's report, the Trump campaign said it was “unclear” why Thurman's life was not protected in this situation because Georgia law contains exceptions for medical emergencies, rape, incest and the life of the mother.
Abortion rights advocates say the exceptions are often vague and doctors hesitate to perform emergency abortions for fear of prosecution.
