Nourbese Flint, President of All* Above All, released the following statement in response to the deaths of two Black women in Georgia as a result of the state abortion ban:
“The news of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller’s deaths this week shook me to my very core. As a mom, a daughter, and a sister, my heart breaks for their families who are living with this lifelong pain.
And, it is not lost on me that Amber was forced to wait, her pain on full display, like many Black mothers across the country whose humanity is minimized when they need care the most.
This illustrates the very devastating realities of both abortion bans and the egregious numbers of Black maternal deaths. Everyone should be able to get the abortion care they need that is safe and accessible. Providers should be able to deliver that care without fear of being criminalized. These deaths were preventable. The vast majority of Black maternal deaths are preventable.
It’s time to speak plainly—every legislator who voted for Georgia’s abortion ban, every justice on the Supreme Court who ruled to end Roe v. Wade, and former President Donald Trump himself who orchestrated our nation’s current health care crisis are all responsible for Amber and Candi’s deaths as well as the many people across the country who are put in dangerous situations trying to get the healthcare they need. I’m joining my fellow Black women leaders in the Reproductive Justice movement to say loud and clear—not one more.
No one should be forced to wait until they are on death’s door to get the care they need, fearing prosecution, nor should any doctor be forced to withhold lifesaving treatments at the hands of diabolical politicians and systems that are literally killing us.
We thank Vice President Kamala Harris and the elected officials who have spoken out this week in response to this gut-wrenching news. But words will only take us so far — we need clear, immediate action from elected officials at the state and federal levels to end these abortion bans and needless deaths.”