‘She waited for 20 hours:’ Amber Thurman’s family say they still replay GA woman’s final moments

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — The family Amber Thurman is sharing their story with Channel 2 Action News. Amber is the 28-year-old mom, whose death was ruled preventable by a state regulatory board after taking the abortion pill.

“She would stop me and tell me ‘You don’t understand I’m in too much pain, it’s painful.’ She kept repeating that,” remembers Shanette Williams about the final hours she spent with her daughter Amber Thurman.

Williams spent years working in healthcare. And when her daughter was at Piedmont Henry Hospital, two years ago, she had faith in the doctors. Even as she says the story changed around what happened to Amber during surgery.

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“It went from it being successful to her being in critical condition,” said Williams. “After the anesthesiologist and her OBGYN came back in, they said she didn’t make it.”

Amber came to the hospital after she took an abortion pill but did not completely “expel all of the fetal tissue.” She was at Piedmont Henry Hospital for 20 hours, before she got the surgery she needed, but she did not survive.

It was not until a few months ago, when a ProPublica reporter got their hands on a report from Georgia’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee that found Amber’s death was “preventable” that the family learned what happened to Amber.

“She waited for 20 hours, and we knew nothing,” said Andrika Thurman, Amber’s sister. “At that time, I felt like I failed her,” said Williams.

Since the report, Amber’s family has been thrust into the spotlight. Their story has been on national television, articles, social media and even part of the 2024 presidential campaign.

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“I’m not political,” said Williams. “To be honest I never had complaints about politicians because I never voted them in to vote them out. This is the first time in my 52 years that I have walked into a poll to vote,” said Williams.

“I’m not surprised by the dirtiest comments I expect them to come,” said Cjauna Williams, Amber’s sister.

They are focusing on justice for Amber. They want the medical professionals involved held accountable. Channel 2 Action News reached out to Piedmont Henry Hospital but did not hear back.

The family wants to prevent what happened to Amber from happening to anyone else. And they are focused on Amber’s son.

“Amber always treated him like royalty,” said Cjauna Williams. “They took that away from him, they took that away from us.”

The family has set up a GoFundMe page that can be found here.

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