Pro-life group launches ad debunking false claim that Georgia abortion law killed women

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 27, 2024 / 17:27 pm

One of the country’s leading pro-life groups has launched a $500,000 television and digital ad campaign debunking misinformation that Georgia laws protecting unborn life killed two women.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the group behind the ad, said the two women, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, were victims of “reckless misinformation” being spread by Democrats about Georgia’s pro-life laws.

“Candi and Amber should be alive; the left’s scare tactics are deadly,” the ad’s narrator says, adding that “Democrats’ abortion lies put women at risk.”

The 30-second ad, which will reach cable and broadcast markets in Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, and Savannah in Georgia as well as targeted digital audiences, says that “no Georgia law blocks lifesaving care for women or treating complications after abortion.”

Miller, 41, and Thurman, 28, both died from infection due to complications after taking the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol.

The left-leaning outlet ProPublica reported earlier this month that Georgia’s laws protecting unborn life starting at six weeks caused medical providers to delay giving Thurman the care necessary to save her life. In Miller’s case ProPublica said she chose to not even visit a medical provider “due to the current legislation on pregnancies and abortions.”

Several doctors, experts, and lawmakers, however, have debunked that claim by pointing out that Georgia law explicitly allows exceptions for abortion in cases in which the mother’s life is in danger. This means that Miller and Thurman could have legally been given the care they needed promptly.

Nevertheless, Democrats have continued to advance the narrative that pro-life laws, and former president Donald Trump, are responsible for the deaths of Miller, Thurman, and many other women across the country. 

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris appeared on a televised town hall with Oprah Winfrey last week in which she spoke with Thurman’s family and blamed Trump and Republicans for what she called a maternal “health care crisis.”

Georgia is one of the swing states that will be critical in deciding the outcome of this year’s presidential election. Both Trump and Harris have been devoting significant amounts of time and money to making their case to Georgians.

The latest poll from FiveThirtyEight shows support for the two candidates within the margin of error, with Trump polling just 0.9 percentage points ahead of Harris (48.3% versus 47.4%).

Harris has largely focused her pitch to Georgia voters on expanding abortion access in the state and across the country. Trump, meanwhile, has focused his rhetoric on other issues such as the economy and the border.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said it is crucial to the well-being of women to spread the truth about pro-life laws. In a press statement shared with CNA, Dannenfelser said that “Amber, Candi, and their babies should be alive today” and that “there would be no confusion if abortion advocates were not spreading confusion.”

“Georgia’s law, like pro-life laws in every other state, allows emergency care, miscarriage care, and treatment for ectopic pregnancy. The laws do not penalize women who have abortions and they use plain, commonly accepted legal language,” she said. “Democrats are putting countless lives at risk and we will relentlessly call them out.”