Advocates and lawmakers remember Georgia mothers on Dobbs anniversary

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From left to right: Community members Jaylen Black, Alicia Stallworth, Jasmine Nicole Williams, Dr. Karenne Fru, and Davan'te Jennings stand in front of “Born Together” mural in Atlanta Ga.

Credit: Abisola Dahunsi/GPB News

 On June 21, beneath a mural of two Georgia mothers who died after being denied abortion care, a crowd gathered to mourn, remember and rage. 

The memorial event, organized by Free & Just and the Feminist Women’s Health Center, marked three years since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and triggered a wave of abortion restrictions in states nationwide.

The mural, titled "Born Together" by Atlanta artist and activist Jasmine Nicole Williams, on Edgewood Avenue near Boulevard features broken chains and Latin American iconography symbolizing solidarity with Black women in the fight to improve maternal health. Williams said her art was born of anger, saying that the laws were "designed to oppress women and birthing people on a systemic level."

Georgia ranks among the worst states for maternal health outcomes, according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health and the  American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The maternal mortality rate for Black women in Georgia is three times higher than for white women. Over 50% of Georgia’s counties lack a single OB-GYN, and nearly 90% have no abortion provider. 

According to advocates gathered at the unveiling, Georgia's six-week abortion ban has had deadly consequences. The mural unveiled Saturday honored Amber Nicole Thurman and Candy Miller, two Black mothers who died from pregnancy-related complications.

Thurman, a 28-year-old mother from Southwest Georgia, died in July 2022 from sepsis after taking abortion pills, a complication advocates said could have been prevented had she accessed timely care. Miller, 35, similarly died in November 2022 after taking abortion pills, related to her fear of accessing in-person care in after the Dobbs decision.

Their deaths were not isolated, organizers said, referring to questions surrounding bodily autonomy and what care constitutes legal treatment.

A recent example of confusion around abortion laws 

At the mural unveiling, Dr. Karenne Fru, a reproductive endocrinologist with Muna Fertility, reminded those gathered about the death of 31-year-old Adriana Smith, who was removed from life support on June 17 after doctors delivered her baby by emergency Cesarean section at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. 

Smith, a Georgia nurse and mother, was declared brain dead in February, eight weeks into her pregnancy but was kept alive to carry the baby, sparking questions and controversy.

"Our prayers go out to the family of Adriana Smith during this difficult time,"  Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a May 2025 statement, saying Georgia's abortion law, House Bill 481, is not at issue in Smith's case. "There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death. Removing life support is not an action 'with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy.'”

Georgia Republican state Sen. Ed Setzler, who sponsored Georgia’s abortion law in the House in 2019, told The Associated Press that he agreed with how Smith’s case was managed. 

A statement released by the hospital read, "Emory Healthcare uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature, and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualized treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia's abortion laws and all other applicable laws. Our top priorities continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve."

Advocates continue to push for rights and access to emergency care

“We are here today to honor the lives of Adriana Smith, Candy Miller, and Amber Nicole Thurman,”  Alicia Stallworth, campaign director at Free & Just told the small crowd. “These women died preventable deaths after they were denied or prevented from accessing emergency abortion care.” 

Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari, who represents District 5, said, “Women are more than just an incubated [body] to birth kids.” 

“These women were mothers,” said Jaylen Black, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Planned Parenthood Southeast. “They leave behind children that are going to hear and see their names in the news and they're not going to understand why this happened to their mothers.” 

“My husband… watched our daughter die and then almost lost me,” Fru said of losing her first baby. “If there had been a six-week ban, I would not be here. My daughters would not be here.” 

Fru closed with a plea grounded in her dual role as doctor and mother: “We all came from a womb. We all know someone who has one ... whether we choose to be mothers or not — should be our choice.” 

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Democratic Party of Georgia chair Charlie Bailey speaks in opposition to Georgia's abortion law.

Credit: Sarah Kallis / GPB

Georgia state lawmakers reflect on the Dobbs anniversary

Democratic state legislators gathered for a press conference at the Born Together mural on Monday.

Rep. Shea Roberts has sponsored a bill aiming to repeal Georgia's abortion law. 

“Georgia's abortion laws are vague, often leaving doctors and hospitals scrambling with their lawyers instead of giving patients the care they need," she said. 

In a phone call after the event, Setzler, the Republican sponsor of Georgia’s abortion law, told GPB he is proud of the legislation.

“Trying to balance these very difficult, complex circumstances with the right to life of a living distinct human being, living inside of mom is something that Georgians take very seriously.”



This story includes reporting by GPB's Sofi Gratas.