Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Harris spoke at a campaign event in Atlanta on Friday.
Bryn Anderson/AP
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Bryn Anderson/AP
ATLANTA — Vice President Harris calls former President Donald Trump the “architect” of a health care crisis that was sparked by reduced abortion access in states after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling. Roe v. Wade.
Speaking in Atlanta on Friday, Harris called tougher abortion laws “immoral” and blasted Republicans for their “chronic neglect” on maternal mortality.
“These hypocrites want to start talking about, ‘This is in the best interest of women and children,'” she said. “Well, where have you been? …How dare they? How dare they? Come on.
As Harris attempts to exploit the abortion issue on the campaign trail, she mentioned on Friday Reporting by ProPublica The state’s maternal health expert committee has deemed the deaths of two women “preventable” after Georgia implemented a new abortion law.
The investigation released this week tells the stories of two women: Amber Thurman; Candy MillerGeorgia’s strict laws effectively ban most abortions except for rape, incest and the life of the mother, who later died from complications related to seeking an abortion.
“There’s a word for preventable, and there’s another word for predictability,” Harris said. “The reality is that for every story of suffering under Trump’s abortion ban, there are many stories we are not hearing, and suffering is happening every day in our country.”
Trump has touted his nominees to the Supreme Court who have helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion.
According to records reviewed by ProPublica, Thurman and Miller died from complications caused by the body’s failure to completely expel all fetal tissue after medical abortion. Thurman died after doctors waited more than 20 hours to treat the infection; Miller’s family told ProPublica that Miller died at home without seeking medical care “due to current legislation regarding pregnancy and abortion.” NPR has not independently confirmed the report.
Some anti-abortion groups have pushed back against suggestions that the deaths were linked to abortion laws, instead blaming the Biden administration for its lax regulation of medical abortion.
“Amber Thurman and Candy Miller did not die due to legal denial of treatment,” National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said in a statement. The group accuses the government of increasing safety requirements and a lack of adequate medical care when it relaxes conditions for medical abortions for deceased patients.
Republicans also pushed back on Harris’ claims about the woman’s death, with a Republican spokesman claiming the vice president was spreading “misinformation.”
“Georgia has clear exceptions not only for rape, incest and the life of the mother, but also to provide necessary care in the event of a medical emergency,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Morgan Ackley said in a statement. There is no reason why doctors couldn’t act quickly to protect the mother’s life.”
Friday’s event comes as the presidential race enters its final six weeks, with Georgia one of the swing states that could determine the winner and abortion rights remaining a motivating issue for Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters.
Harris was introduced by Dr. Keisha Reddick, a Savannah ob-gyn who said tighter abortion restrictions in Georgia and other states “put women’s health and lives at risk.”
“I see fear in patients’ eyes,” she said. “I see some women leaving the state to get the care they need, and other women who are unable to do so. I see medical students and other doctors avoiding coming to our state who are packing their bags and moving across the country , pursuing a life where he would not face jail time for keeping his oath.
Reddick said this has resulted in fewer health care providers in Georgia, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.
Harris also discussed abortion during a campaign event with Oprah Winfrey in Michigan on Thursday. She will hold a campaign rally later Friday in Madison, Wisconsin.
