Thread by @aaplog

ProPublica article claims that Georgia’s abortion law led to the tragic death of 28yo Amber Thurman.  Her preventable death was related to abortion – but not as the title implies. Read this 🧵 on how physicians could have intervened to save her life…

Days before her death: Amber is given and takes the abortion drug mifepristone at 9 weeks gestation with twins at a clinic in NC. She drives home to GA, & takes the 2nd drug, misoprostol, at home a day later. These drugs were the root cause of the following events.

August 18th 6:51pm (days later) – presents to hospital with bleeding, vomiting blood, passing out.  Found to have abdominal tenderness, critically elevated white blood cell count, low blood pressure, foul smelling vaginal discharge & retained tissue in her uterus on ultrasound.

Diagnosis, which any first year resident could make: endometritis due to incomplete abortion with probable sepsis. Standard of care for treatment: immediate antibiotics and D&C.

After nearly 3 hours, Amber is FINALLY started on antibiotics.  OB/GYN considers D&C the next day.  This violates standard of care.  D&C should have been immediate and concurrent with the initiation of antibiotics (and was not prevented by Georgia’s law).

Aug 19th 5:14am  - Amber is diagnosed with “acute severe sepsis”, noted to have rapid breathing, unstable vital signs, and still having significant bleeding.  Treated with IV fluids and more antibiotics followed by a powerful drug to boost her blood pressure.

Standard of care:  immediate D&C! Obviously what they were doing was not working and she’s at imminent risk of death. To continue on the same course was negligence, pure and simple.

6:45am – Her blood pressure worsens, and she’s transferred to ICU.  Standard of care: D&C with antibiotics.

7:14am – D&C is discussed but not done.  Two hours later, labs show the beginnings of multisystem organ failure.  Standard of Care: (once again) Immediate D&C.

2pm – Approximately 20 hours after arriving in critical condition to the hospital, Amber is taken to the operating room for a D&C.  She dies on the operating table.

This is one of the most clearcut cases of medical malpractice (based on the information available publicly) that we have ever seen.  Standard of care on her arrival was IMMEDIATE D&C and initiation of antibiotics.  Had this been done, she most likely would be alive today.

Tragic deaths like Amber’s should not be exploited to claim that they are the fault of pro-life laws.  Don’t fall for the bait and switch. Her death was due to 2 things: abortion drugs and lack of appropriate & timely medical care (which is perfectly legal in pro-life states).

This complication of abortion drugs is not rare.  Retained tissue requiring surgical evacuation occurs in roughly 5% of women who take these drugs at 9 weeks.

acog.org/clinical/clini…

Georgia’s law does NOT criminalize doing a D&C (nor does any other state law), especially when there is no detectable fetal heart rate (which there weren’t in this case).

lozierinstitute.org/pro-life-laws-…

GA’s law also allows for a D&C, even with a detectable heartbeat, to prevent the death or serious physical impairment of a pregnant woman.  It prevents a D&C that has the sole intent of ending the life of a preborn human being.

Our patients deserve better.  The abortion industry and its allies must STOP lying and instilling fear.  It’s time for ALL physicians, regardless of their position on induced abortion, to stand for clarity over confusion, facts over fear, and excellent care of our patients.