Statement on Tragic Deaths of Candi Miller and Amber Thurman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
September 19, 2024 
CONTACT: [email protected] 

Statement from Brittany Fonteno, President  & CEO of the National Abortion Federation

Let’s be clear: the devastating deaths of Candi Miller and Amber Thurman in Georgia were completely preventable. These women died because of Georgia’s medically unnecessary abortion ban and because of fear-mongering from elected officials, law enforcement, and anti-abortion extremists who want to control our bodies by denying access to reproductive health care. Abortion restrictions and bans do not stop the need for this essential health care; they just make it more difficult to access by forcing patients and providers into impossible situations. No one should fear their right to receive medical care, and no doctor should fear prosecution for providing care.

Today, over 21 million women of reproductive age live in states where abortion is banned. Abortion bans disproportionately harm Black and Brown communities – Black women like Amber and Candi – because structural barriers to health care access mean that these communities are consistently denied access to health care, including abortion. Amber and Candi each leave behind children, families, friends, and communities who continue to face the reality of living under Georgia’s abortion ban. 

At NAF, we will continue to help patients access abortion through the National Abortion Hotline (1-800-772-9100), whether that’s help finding a provider, arranging travel to another state, or funding for their care. We will continue to work closely with our national network of member providers, many of whom face uncertainty and fear in the current political landscape. And we will continue to combat anti-abortion extremists whose use of violence and political weaponization is putting pregnant people and providers at extreme risk. 

Amber and Candi’s stories are the first reported deaths as a result of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, and I fear they will not be the last.

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The National Abortion Federation (NAF) is the nation’s largest and leading professional association of abortion providers. NAF represents hundreds of providers and clinics across the country that are on the frontlines of abortion access. NAF provides members with trainings, security support, and guidelines that serve as the gold standard of abortion care. NAF also operates the National Abortion Hotline, the nation’s largest national, toll-free, multi-lingual hotline for abortion resources and travel and financial assistance in the U.S. Learn more at https://nationalabortionfederation.org