candi miller, a mother of three, was afraid to see a doctor. she had lupus, diabetes and hypertension. propublica reports that because her third pregnancy was difficult and she never fully recovered, she sought to terminate her fourth pregnancy through medication abortion without medical supervision. according to propublica, when the state maternal mortality review committee looked into candi miller's death, wrote, they immediately decided it was preventable and blamed the states abortion ban, a link to members who spoke to propublica on the condition of anonymity. vice president kamala harris went to georgia yesterday. and the two women who are now the tragic faces of georgia's horrible abortion law. >> this is a healthcare crisis. this is a healthcare crisis and donald trump is the architect of this crisis. he brags about overturning roe v. wade. in his own words, quote, i did it and i am proud to have done it, he says. he is proud. proud. that women are dying. proud. that doctors and nurses could be thrown in prison for administering care. p

candy miller died on november 12, 2022. propublica writes, her husband found her unresponsive in bed. her three-year-old daughter at her side. an autopsy found that the painkillers she took included sentinel. her sister said quote, she was trying to terminate the pregnancy, not terminate herself. propublica reports that the state committee of experts in maternal health quote, decided it was preventable and blamed the states abortion ban, according to members who spoke to propublica on the condition of anonymity. candy miller and amber thurman died in 2022. the investigations of their deaths were just completed. we are now two years later. that is how long it takes from the time of the death to release the information by the investigators about that death. that means there are likely many, many more women in georgia who have already died, already been killed by the republican men of the georgia legislature but have not yet been reported. the georgia abortion ban went into effect after the supreme court made that possible on

fearmongering and again, two weeks later, amber thurman was dead and a couple of months later, candi miller was dead thurman's family was hesitant initially to come forward and speak publicly about this. what do you think ultimately led them to share her story sensitivity and the commitment with our reporter could be the serrano approach. >> this story, understanding that we had families have a right to tell their stories in a way that works for them. and we waited, we waited until they were comfortable talking to us and talk to them throughout the whole process. and it's it was a reporting process that balance the needs of the family to come to grips with what had happened, but also the need for the family and the public to learn the truth about what is going on propublica also is exploring other potential cases like this. can you share any details >> i mean, we are very interested in hearing from current and former members of state maternal mortality board committees in states that have abortion bans were very interested in hearing from families my members whose loved ones may have died b

these are two women who are mothers, candi miller had three children. he died in bed with her three-year-old with her amara thurman has for year-old son that now family members are raising the maternal mortality rate in georgia is among the highest in the nation, three times higher for collar how many other stories like this do you think are out there don't really know. >> we we all we have to go buy

amber therman and candy miller. they died because of georgia's abortion ban. make. i wonder if the reporting your outlet had been doing really gleaned out for you that this is emblematic of a larger healthcare crisis happening in america. >> we are convinced these are not the only deaths out there. each one of these deaths is a tragedy but it is a lesson in preventability. amber therman was 28 years old. she took some abortion pills and had a rare complication is that she did not fully expel the fetal tissue. she did what she was supposed to do and sought care from a hospital. what we understand from records is that they did not provide the procedure she needed. she needed a dnc to clear what had become a grave infection. she had sepsis. over the course of 20 hours, she was allowed to have her blood pressure dip and her organs fail. what is interesting is that doctors had discussed giving her this procedure a couple of times but they did not do it. unfortunately, we have not been able to speak to the doctors. we do know that this procedure is with few exceptio

to a hospital in pain waiting for 20 hours before doctors began to operate died during surgery candi miller never made it to a hospital. have me says she didn't go because of georgia's abortion law she died in her own bed a three-year-old daughter myers side both women died in 2022 the case is only now coming to light which raises the question, how many other cases are out there? with me. now, congresswoman nikema williams, a democrat from georgia, and vice chair of the democratic women's caucus, and a member of the congressional pro pro-choice caucus. congresswoman. >> i'm i'm i'm trying to push down my emotions about a three-year-old little girl beside her mother in a bed. >> when she dies these stories, they are more than heartbreaking and we've named two women how many more? like amber like candy possibly suffering and possibly dying? that's the thing laura we hear about this three-year-old little boy who was in bet next to his mom and then the six-year-old little boy, who now has to grow up without his mother and these were preventable deaths. but in georgia, like so many other states

the second case, this candy miller was affording 1-year-old mother of three. she ordered abortion medication online because she had lupus diabetes, hypertension, and a pregnancy could have killed her er doctor said and she she took it at home and was afraid to even go to the hospital because her family told the corner after her death that due to the current legislation on a pregnancies and abortion, she was afraid to seek care. so i think the committee found these preventable. >> so georgia governor brian kemp's office has responded to the reporting saying, quote they would likely both be alive today if partisan activists and so-called journalists had not spread such egregious misinformation and propaganda that fostered a culture of fear and confusion, unquote. and kemp's office added that they provided guidance to health care providers on how to navigate the new laws what do you make of thisesponse? to your reporting i'll i will say is that two weeks before amber thurman died the state of georgia, it's called doctors warning things that women would die, fearm

. >> the second case involved a woman named candi miller.he did not go to a doctor? >> one of the first things that is important to know about this case is candi miller, a 41-year-old mother of three, had a lot of medical complications. she had diabetes, lupus and hypertension. her doctors told her it would be dangerous for her to go through another pregnancy and may even threaten her life. the abortion exceptions do not have any kind of exception that addresses the situation. they are limited to emergencies, not situations where a patient's condition could become an emergency letter. because abortion was outlawed, her family said she ordered pills online from overseas and took them at home. these pills can cause complications and patients should go to the hospital if that happens. from what we know, she did experience pain. the abortion did not complete due to an autopsy -- the abortion did not complete as seen by an autopsy. her family thought abortion was outlawed and people could go to jail. that is not clear from georgia law. courts hav

i was talking to the sister of candy miller, she is someone who didn't seek medical care and seek care the abortion she said she wanted and needed because she had lupus and diabetes and said she took an abortion medication. that had complications that unfortunately led to her death. she sadly passed away laying next to her 3-year-old child. she's a mother of three. so her sister is emotional telling me that she really is heartbroken by this. the vice president is coming here to highlight those personal stories to make the case she should be elected as president of the united states, and she will restore the rights taken away when roe v. wade was overturned. >> stories like those hit home. so eye opening. yamiche alcindor, thank you. patricia, the latest "atlanta journal-constitution" poll shows a tight race between trump and harris in georgia. how are these stories resonating with voters? >> like you said, this is a razor thin toss up race in georgia. we're finding out that about one in ten georgians say this is their primary issue. that's not a huge number. 10% doesn't register agains

the tragic stories of amber thurman and candy miller are highlighted this week in an investigation byaking abortion pills. she had to wait 20 hours to be approved for a surgery that had been banned that summer in 2022 with few exceptions. now, miller was a mother of three who died at home, declining medical care when she also suffered complications from abortion pills because she feared the state's abortion ban. joining us now, nbc news who's correspondent mike memoli, and we have seen the vice president lean heavily into reproductive rights in her campaign. how are these stories going to be part of the vice president's visit and message tomorrow in georgia and beyond? >> well, georgia's republican governor brian kemp is disputing the idea that that state's abortion restrictions were responsible for these two women's deaths. that's contradicted, according to this pro publica reporting. it is incredible reporting by an independent board of medical experts in that state that said the deaths were preventable. in the case of candy miller, she was afraid of seeking the kind of care she nee

this week, propublica introduced us to amber nicole thurman and candi miller.s who were taken from their children, whose preventable deaths would not have happened if not for george's draconian abortion ban. the story of these women is crucial, as we dismantle lives of the -- lies of the antiabortion movement. if you have been paying attention, you know that abortion is health care. and you know that it cannot be banned without threatening the health, well-being, fertility and lives of women. but for black women in this country, their health and well- being is already statistically worse. maternal mortality rates are higher and the incidence of high risk pregnancy is greater. and so the threat posed by an abortion ban is even more acute. the politics surrounding abortion and reproductive freedom have always played out differently in a black communities. the difference is rooted in structural racism which shapes major aspects of black life in america from education and politics to the economy and health care. black women's reproductive health cannot be divorced

. >> kavita, you also uncover the story of candy miller, who died at home afraid of seeking medical care for her abortion. what did you learn about her there's a couple of important things to highlight. >> one is kendi miller was a mother of three, who had lupus diabetes and hypertension. all of those are conditions that can be dangerously exacerbated by pregnancy and she had actually been told her sister says by a doctor that another pregnancy would be really dangerous for her and even life threatening these abortion laws. even when they have exceptions they definitely don't have health exceptions for cases like this unless they've already become an emergency candy, miller didn't want this to become an emergency abortion pills online from overseas there's a number of organisations that are sending these pills to places where abortion is illegal. now, we don't know how far along she wasn't her pregnancy. her family says that she was in a lot of pain afterwards. we don't understand exactly what complication she had, but an autopsy found that the abortion hadn't completed and she was later

her name is candy miller. she was one of the two women who was highlighted in the pro publica reporting. she decided not to go and seek medical attention because she was worried that georgia's restrictive abortion laws would mean she wouldn't get the care. so she took abortion medication, unfortunately then got an infection, suffered for several hours and then unfortunately passed away lying next to her 3-year-old child. now, candy miller was a mother of three. her sister tells me that the family is really just heartbroken over this. they see her death as preventible. they see her death as a consequence, a direct consequence of the abortion laws changing in this battleground state of georgia, and of course all across our country after roe v. wade was overturned. we also of course saw the vice president on stage with the family of another woman, andrea thurman, she wants people to know her daughter is not a statistic and her daughter leaves behind a young son. her last words to her family were please take care

the same thing with candy miller, she talks about the fact that this was a mother of three, a mother in bed with her 3-year-old child who has to grow up without a mother. this is a moment where the vice president was trying to hammer home the point that it is the personal stories of health care complications and women who should be here. these are just the stories we know. this is a case where we could have a number of other stories we don't know, and when she leaned into preventible, she said this is predictable, this is something people foresaw, which is why so many people dent want roe v. wade to overturn. a poignant moment in a poignant event that's different than what we have seen from the vice president in the past, jose. >> we're used to seeing the vice president in a highly structured, choreographed event. there was back and forth in this event? >> reporter: there was some back and forth, and, you know, having covered her in atlanta, this is a really special place because call-in response. there's a sort of southern african american cultural experience that you get in atlanta

candy miller was left to die alone at home because she was too afraid to seek medical treatment as shed through a self-managed abortion. amber nicole thurman went to a hospital but she was dismissed for 20 hours as she lay in excruciating pain because medical professionals were too afraid to help. last night, amber's mom had this message for thousands of americans. >> i want y'all to know amber was not a statistic. she was loved. by a family, a strong family. and we would have done whatever to get my baby, our baby, the help that she needed. >> vice president kamala harris met with the family of amber nicore thurman in michigan on thursday when they appeared at the unite america town hall hosted by oprah winfrey. today, harris honored the lives of amber and others but she also laid their deaths squarely at the doorstep of donald trump and the six conservative republicans on the supreme court who helped expedite it. >> amber's mother told me that the word preventable is over and over again in her head when she learned about how her child died. this is a health care crisis. this is a hea

these are two women who are mothers, candi miller had three children. he died in bed with her three-year-old with her amara thurman has for year-old son that now family members are raising the maternal mortality rate in georgia is among the highest in the nation, three times higher for collar how many other stories like this do you think are out there don't really know. >> we we all we have to go buy are the days before roe. there were hundreds of deaths from what was then called septic abortion, propublica is very interested in hearing from family members of loved ones we have died while pregnant, may be unable to access care. they may have had chronic conditions like candi miller who had lupus were very interested in looking at these cases doing what we can to uncover the real causes. we think there needs to be more transparency among state maternal mortality boards which operates two years behind. so who knows how many cases are out there we would like to know no matter the decision, the political decisions made at those at the state level, the trans

when the vice president was talking about amber nicole thurman and candy miller, two mothers who died of what state officials and "propublica" is reporting are preventable abortion deaths, people in this room were crying. they were emotional. they were reacting. there were a lot of people just taking in the news and really understanding what it means when women in the state of georgia are dying because they don't get the care that they need in moments of emergencies. and in this case, you saw the vice president not just talk about the way these women died, which is, of course, so sad, but it's also, she was talking as you played the fact that amber was a young mother who wanted to take care of her son, who asked her mother in her dying breath, her last moments on this earth to promise that she would take care of my son. she said she had a plan, she had a vision for what her life was going to look like. that's why she wanted this abortion, because we didn't want to take on more than she could. and for candy miller, a mother of three, who had lupus, who had diabetes, she was trying to s

there was a second story out of georgia and another woman candy miller who her family states stayed atering complications again of the high risk abortion drugs because she was afraid to go to the hospital because of things she's heard that were false about georgia's law. we are seeing the direct results of spreading lies and misinformation about the laws and women are being harmed by that because they're de- delayig and seeking care and what's the issue of abortion and we should all want women to have accurate information so they seek care immediately if they're experiencing complications from things like the high risk abortion drugs. rachel: yeah, we have to talk more about these drugs and what they do to women. thank you so much, doctor, for joining us this morning. appreciate it. >> thank you for having me on. rachel: hundreds of billions norring heros and one supporting them wounded in war and annual heros weekend, next. oooh! this is our night! shingles doesn't care. but shingrix protects. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles i

candy miller, who see here as well, was fearful of what it would mean to try to go to a hospital to obtaint experts say was other lifesaving care. she died at home. amber's family is thinking out. this is the first time they're speaking out in public, so, again, i told you how the oprah event had the lighter moments, excitement, some cultural leaders and famous people, but it also has -- it's fitting, makes sense if you know oprah -- to create time for this admittedly difficult but exceedingly important issue, where they were speaking out for the first time. >> i want you to know, amber was not a statistic. she was loved by a family, a strong family. well would have done whatever to get my baby, our baby the help that she needed. >> i think the most powerful thing you have said here miss genet is your daughter is not a statistic. >> i'm just so sorry. amber's mom shared with me the word over and over again in her mind is "preventable." >> yeah. >> amber's story highlights the fact that among everything that is wrong with these bans and what's happened in the overturning of roe vox wade, it

over the last week we learned the names of two women, amber thur marn and candy miller whose deaths wereporting on nbc news shows worrying signs that there could be a maternal mortality crisis in america because of trump's overturning roe and the abortion bans that have ensued. nbc news reports this on the warning signs coming from the state of texas, which had the earliest, most extreme ban in the country. quote, the number of women in texas who died while pregnant during labor or soon after childbirth skyrocketed following that state's 2021 ban on abortion care. from 2019 to 2022 the rate of maternal mortality cases in texas rose by 56% compared with just 11% nationwide during the same time period. that's according to an analysis by the gender equity policy institute. quote, there's only one explanation for this staggering difference in maternal mortality, said nancy cohen, president of the g.e.p. texas. i fear it is a harbinger of what is to come in other states. joining us is the president and ceo of the planned parenthood action fund, alexis mcgill johnson's here. maya's with us as

you just released this new piece about candy miller, what did the panel say about her death?ded that her case was preventable, they looked at all of the circumstances and the fact that she didn't have the adequate choices in georgia to seek a legal abortion, even though she had diabetes, hypertension and lupus which has -- which can be dangerously exacerbated by pregnancy. they looked at that and they looked at the fact that she -- her family said that she did not go to doctors because she knew about the abortion ban, and said she is absolutely responding to this legislation. >> and meanwhile, in amber's case, doctors waited 20 hours to remain fetal tissue after she was admitted to the hospital. what does the report say about why they waited these 20 hours? >> we reached out to the hospital and the doctors, they didn't respond to comment. what we know is that the committee of maternal health experts looked at this case, they said this is the standard of care. if she received a dnc as soon as she arrived, there is a good chance of saving her life. a lot of the lawmakers that p

bans that led to the death of the women that we just learned about this week, amber thurman and candi millerentioned at the top, we have a 21% lead with harris over donald trump with women according to the nbc news paul. but harris trails trump by 12 points among men. how do you explain the gender gap? >> you know, i do think you know, women over the last two years, in particular, fully understand what is meant for our fundamental freedoms, to control our own bodies to be taken away from us. it is very core. to our ability to decide if, when and how we become pregnant, how that correlates to the families we are already taking care of, whether it relates to the career opportunities, educational opportunities or the lives we want to live and imagine for ourselves. we are fundamentally holding a piece of that. but it is funny, i was in montana the week before last, on a college campus with young men, asked the same question around how he sees the gender gap. and he said unequivocally, this is not a gendered issue. young men, i think are also seeing the impact of their peers and their friends ex

atlanta, georgia, a speech that will not just focus on the story of amber thurman, but also that of candi miller, who died at home refusing to seek medical care out of fear of george's abortion ban after she suffered complications from taking abortion pills to end a risky pregnancy. her death was also deemed preventable were it not for george's abortion band. the new york times reports that in her speech tomorrow, kamala harris quote, will call for restoring federal abortion rights and cite the women's dresses illustrating the devastating impacts of what she calls trump abortion bans, according to a person with knowledge of her remarks. they say ms. harris believes appearing at the site of these bands, rushing into the fire of weighty issues, as they describe it, is an important way to leverage the power of her bully pulpit. but, georgia will not be the only state kamala harris will visit tomorrow. kamala harris will continue her campaigns swing through the to all states including pennsylvania and michigan by holding a rally in wisconsin tomorrow. new state polling shows a tight race in the blue

candy miller was a 41-year-old mother of three, who unintentionally got pregnant back in 2022.dn't have many options because she lived in georgia. a state that implemented a 6 week abortion ban, passed by the republican majority state legislature and signed by brian kemp. so she tried to manage her own abortion at home. and wound up dying because she was more afraid of seeking help than of what would happen if she didn't. her son told the coroner that she was terrified of going to a doctor due to the current legislation on pregnancies and abortions. he then told propublica that if you get caught trying to do anything to get rid of the baby, you get jail time for that. miller's sister said she was trying to terminate the pregnancy, not terminate herself. georgia doctors who reviewed her case found that her death was preventable and that she should still be alive. but she's not the only woman propublica found in georgia who died a needless death because she feared her state's laws. amber nicole thurman was a healthy, 28-year-old mom of a 6-year-old son. she was just getting on he

amber thurman and candy miller.idea that abortion rights is going to be a critical part of the election and i want to play for you part of the sound of amber thurman's family last night in a live stream with the vice president. take a listen. >> amber was not a statistic. she was loved by a family, a strong family. you're looking at a mother that is broken. >> amber's mom shared with me that the word over and over again in her mind is preventable. >> yeah. >> preventable. the story is a story that is sadly not the only story of what has been happening since these bans have taken place. >> reporter: so as i said, the vice president is really going to be leaning into personal stories, and as she was talking about, this propublica investigation found that the state officials in georgia have found this committee that was focusing on abortions have found that those two women's deaths were preventable abortion deaths because one of them did not get the access to the medical care she needed. her team waited and waited and

likely because of abortion restrictions there, their names, amber thurman, seen on the left, and candi miller on the ride. propublica said their deaths are the first to be publicly tied to an abortion ban. and they were efficient surely deemed preventable. let's take you now, live to atlanta with cnn's priscilla alvarez, who's covering the vice president's trip. priscilla, what should we expect to hear at this campaign stop? >> well, boris, if you want any indication as to what the vice president is going to say, you only have to look at the signs behind me which say one in three women lives under a trump abortion ban. trump abortion ban being a phrase that the vice president coined during a stop in arizona earlier this year when she was warning talking about abortion restrictions in states. now of course, this is the type of rapid response travel that the vice president did multiple times over the last year and sources tell me that she was the one that directed her team to take this detour to georgia before heading to wisconsin later tonight, of course, that was the only only traveled she ha

about their health, even their very survival, their seeing what happened to amber thurman and candi miller and georgia. and they're wondering if the same thing could happen to them. now their stories, we're first reported by propublica, which linked their deaths to the state's strict abortion law. >> for 28-year-old amber thurman propublica reports that she found out that she was pregnant with twins after georgia's six-week abortion ban went into effect, she tried to get an abortion in north carolina we're hour away drive scheduling, day off, work and leaving at 4:00 in the morning to get to the clinic. >> and the clinic but she hit traffic and she missed the appointment the clinic could not hold her spot open because it was overwhelmed by women from other states that also had abortion bans that we're seeking abortion-related services. >> but an employee offered her an approved abortion pill regimen and amber took it days later and she suffered a rare complication. amber's body did not expel all the fetal tissue. >> so she went to the hospital and georgia to get a procedure that could actu

harris was joined last night by families of two georgia women, amber thurman and candi miller at a differentne was in michigan those women though from georgia, they died in 2022 after roe was overturned in just after the state put in place, its restrictive abortion ban. propublica first reported on their deaths. this week, the reporting detailing how their deaths are the first to be deemed preventable as they were neglected, life life-saving abortion care, they needed both had sought medical abortions. both experienced complications that could have been fixed with the help of a doctor cnn's meg tirrell joins us now with more on this, which is put a spotlight once again on, well, what i think doctors call a rare complications, but talk to me about what you've learned about this >> again, i mean, these stories are so tragic of course. and one of the many things that they have in common is both of these women used medication, abortion. of course, we've heard a lot about this. it's been in the national headlines around a supreme court decision, around one of the medicines mifepristone, which is

her name was candy miller. how can that be the status quo in our country in the 21st century. how is anyone okay with this. how does anyone think that these extreme abortion bans are a good idea. how does anyone oppose clarifying? women have a right to emergency care. don't we want our hospitals to save lives. how can anyone look at this wreckage. how can you hear the stories from doctors who are racked with guilt for decisions republican politicians made for them. how can you hear the stories from these women who have bled and suffered and died? how can anyone hear the chilling accounts. women who have died and just shrugged it off and say well, i'm sure this will blow over. or it wasn't so bad. and yet we have republicans by and large just trying to ignore this and trying to get everyone to whistle past the graveyard that they spent decades digging. as a -- as if a woman would ever in her life forget the time her doctor said yes, you are in danger. yes, we know how to treat you, but, no, i can't do it. politicians won't let them. as if a mother would ever forget losing her d