Who are Amber Thurman, Amanda Zurawski and Hadley Duvall; Walz shares their stories to defend abortion rights
Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are against each other in the debate for the upcoming elections in November. Among several topics discussed, abortion rights took centre stage, where Vance defended Donald Trump’s decision to leave the abortion regulation matter to the states. He further highlighted the pro-family policies like fertility treatments and helping families financially, which their campaign is promoting. Walz argued that leaving the matter to states previously has put pregnant women’s lives at risk. He cited the cases of Amanda Zurawski, Hadley Duvall and Amber Thurman.
Walz emphasised the severe consequences of state-level abortion bans, citing cases of women like Amanda Zurawski, Amber Thurman and Hadley Duval in debate against Vance.((Pexel – representational image))
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Abortion rights in states’ hands endanger women’s lives
Walz highlighted severe cases where women were left on the brink of death because of leaving the issue of abortion rights and policies to the state. Here is the case description of the incidents mentioned by Walz in the debate.
Who is Amanda Zurawski?
Amanda Zurawski is a resident of Texas who was so close to losing her life after she was denied an abortion. She sued the State of Texas in 2023 with assistance from the Centre For Reproductive Rights. Zurawski revealed that the Texas Supreme Court straightaway rejected and “failed to provide any sort of clarification” on the law, as reported by MSNBC. Nancy Northup and The Center for Reproductive Rights are working hard to help many women who have suffered because of abortion bans. They advocate for these women and seek justice for the harm they’ve faced. “We are going to keep speaking up as long as this keeps happening.”
Who is Hadley Duvall?
Hadley Duvall is a 22-year-old woman who was raped by her stepfather and is now a Roe advocate. Her father started abusing her when she was 5 and impregnated her at the age of 12, as reported by AP. Duvall, from Owensboro, Kentucky, shared her story last fall in a campaign ad for Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. She talked about her stepfather, who is in prison for rape, and how she had a miscarriage.
In a new campaign ad for presidential nominee Kamala Harris which is an effort to show the serious effects of the end of Roe v. Wade, Duvall shared, “Because Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade, girls and women all over the country have lost the right to choose, even for rape or incest.” In some states, there are strict abortion laws without exceptions for rape or incest, putting women’s health at risk.
Also read: When Vance’ fact-checked’ the CBS fact checkers, ‘Since you’re fact-checking me…’
Who is Amber Thurman?
Amber Thurman was a 28-year-old woman who was robbed of the chance to live a content, long life because of people who have spent 50 years pushing “biblical” values. People who try to make women suffer for unwanted pregnancies, sometimes at the cost of their lives. She died in 2022 in a hospital in Georgia as the doctors refused to treat her, terrified they would be committing a felony because of the state’s abortion ban law. A report in ProPublica revealed that Thurman died of a completely “preventable” death.
Amber Thurman discovered she was pregnant with twins in the summer of 2022 and aimed to stabilize her life as a mother and nursing student. After Georgia’s strict abortion law took effect post-Roe v. Wade, she sought care in North Carolina but faced delays.
What could have easily been solved with a D&C by doctors had there been no abortion ban law in effect was delayed by a day, during which Thurman’s condition worsened. In the final hours, when her organs started failing, doctors took her in for an operation, during which she died. Her final words to her mother were, “Promise me you’ll take care of my son,” as reported by MSNBC.
