Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday traveled to Atlanta, where she sought to blame her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, for the abortion-related deaths of two Georgia women reported by ProPublica this week that were deemed “preventable" by a state medical review committee. 

“And now we know that at least two women – and those are only the stories we know – here in the state of Georgia died, died because of a Trump abortion ban,” the vice president said at a rally on Friday. 

What You Need To Know

  • Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday traveled to Atlanta, where she sought to blame her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, for the abortion-related deaths of two Georgia women reported by ProPublica this week that were deemed “preventable’ by a state medical review committee
  • Georgia, a major battleground state in November, bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy except in cases involving medical emergencies, pregnancies in which the unborn child is not expected to survive, rape or incest

  • This week, ProPublica reported on the deaths of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller; Thurman's case is believed to be the first known abortion-related death since the Supreme Court reversed the national right to abortion more than two years ago
  • Democrats have sought to put a spotlight on abortion and reproductive health since Roe’s overturning, often crediting the issue for the party’s better-than-expected showing in the 2022 midterm elections and noting that voters in states – even red ones like Kansas and Ohio – have chosen to keep access to abortion more widely accessible when the topic has appeared on their ballots

The stop in Georgia was added to the vice president’s schedule this week after ProPublica reported on the deaths of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller. Thurman's case is believed to be the first known abortion-related death since the Supreme Court reversed the national right to abortion more than two years ago.

The vice president, who spoke with the mother and sisters of Thurman while in Michigan on Thursday for an event with Oprah Winfrey, used her speech to detail the 28-year-old’s story in-depth, including recounting how Thurman’s mother told her the word “preventable” has played “over and over again in her head.” 

“Amber waited, 20 hours – 20 hours, excruciating hours, until finally, she was in enough physical distress that her doctors thought they would be okay to treat her,” Harris said. “But it was too late.”

Georgia, a major battleground state in November, bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy except in cases involving medical emergencies, pregnancies in which the unborn child is not expected to survive, rape or incest.

Abortion-rights advocates have argued that such laws are often vague and doctors are reluctant to perform emergency abortions out of fear of being prosecuted.

Harris went on to mock her Republican rival for the White House and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, for saying they believe in exceptions to abortion restrictions in cases of rape, incest and life of the mother. Trump often proudly takes credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but has sought to walk a fine line on the issue, saying in last week’s debate that he is “not signing a ban” on the national level if elected while declining to directly answer whether he would veto one. 

“The other folks, Trump and his running mate, and they'll talk about, ‘oh, yeah, but I, you know, I do believe in the exception to save the mother's life,’” Harris said, using a different voice. “OK, allright, let's break that down. Shall we?” 

“So we're saying that we're going to create public policy that says that a doctor, a healthcare provider, will only kick in to give the care that somebody needs if they're about to die?” Harris asked rhetorically. 

Harris on Friday also pointed out that Trump in last week’s showdown between the two claimed that everyone wanted Roe overturned – a line frequently repeated by the former president despite polls showing a majority of Americans don’t approve of the decision. 

"These hypocrites want to start talking about ‘this is in the best interest of women and children,'" Harris said. "Well, where’ve you been? Where you been when it comes to taking care of the women and children of America? Where you been? How dare they? How dare they?"

Responding to someone who shouted in the audience, Harris said “Exactly, I don't know who ‘everyone’ is either – women have been arrested and charged for miscarriages. They didn't want that.” 

At one point when she was talking about the debate Harris responded to the vocal crowd, which was apparently calling to see the vice president on the debate stage again, saying “I’m trying to get another debate, we’ll see.” Harris’ team said almost immediately after the first debate that they want a second showdown between the two rivals. Trump has thrown cold water on the idea. 

Democrats have sought to put a spotlight on abortion and reproductive health since Roe’s overturning, often crediting the issue for the party’s better-than-expected showing in the 2022 midterm elections and noting that voters in states – even red ones like Kansas and Ohio – have chosen to keep access to abortion more widely accessible when the topic has appeared on their ballots. Harris in particular played a major role as a leading voice in the Biden administration’s response to the Supreme Court decision, traveling the country well before she was a presidential candidate herself to talk about the issue. 

Harris has pledged, including on Friday in Atlanta, to sign a bill that restores the laws of Roe v. Wade, which prohibited states from restricting access to abortion before fetal viability, which is typically around 22 to 24 weeks into pregnancy. Trump last week made the case that Harris’ promise to sign such a bill was empty because Congress would never send her one. For his part, he argues the issue should be decided by states.

Spectrum News’ Ryan Chatelain contributed to this report.