close
close

Walz repeats falsehood about abortion deaths in Georgia that doctors have condemned as “fear mongering.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz claimed during the CBS News vice presidential debate that a woman in Georgia likely died because of the state's “restrictive” abortion laws after Roe v. Wade was toppled despite doctors previously condemning such a display as “fearmongering”.

“There is a young woman named Amber Thurman. She happened to be in Georgia, a restrictive state. Because of this, she had to travel a long distance to North Carolina to receive treatment. Amber Thurmond died on that round trip.” “The fact is, how can we as a nation say that your life and your rights, as fundamental as the right to control your own body, depend on geography,” Walz said during of the debate while he battled with Vance over abortion laws.

“There is a very real chance that Amber Thurman would still be alive today if she had lived in Minnesota. That's why Roe v. Wade recovered,” he said.

Walz met with Ohio Senator JD Vance in New York City on Tuesday evening, where the two clashed on key voter issues this election cycle, including the economy, immigration and abortion.

Gynecologists complain about the “fear-mongering” surrounding abortion laws in Georgia: “The lies harm women”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz confused the internet on Tuesday when he accidentally declared that he had “become friends with school shooters” during CBS News' vice presidential debate against Sen. JD Vance. (Getty Images)

Walz's comments come after ProPublica published an article last month that blamed the deaths of two Georgia women, Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller, on the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the state's new abortion restrictions after women received chemically induced abortions in 2022.

Georgia's heartbeat law states that “no abortion shall be performed if the unborn child has a detectable human heartbeat, except in the case of a medical emergency or a medically unsuccessful pregnancy.”

Members of the Democratic Party, including Vice President Kamala Harris, have cited her death as evidence of the need to expand access to abortion following the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

“Good policy, logical policy, moral policy, humane policy is about saying 'a health care provider will not begin providing that care until you are about to die?'” Harris said during a campaign rally in Atlanta last month, citing Thurman's death.

Walz and Vance in the debate

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, the Republican vice presidential nominee, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images))

Gynecologists have since criticized the narrative as a misleading story spread by the media and Democrats.

GEORGIAN DOCTORS WILL ADVISE MISINFORMATION ABOUT STATE ABORTION LAW AND DEATH OF AMBER THURMAN

“It didn't surprise me that this pro-abortion media tried to blame Georgia's pro-life laws, but actually Georgia's laws allow doctors to intervene to save the woman's life,” said Charlotte Lozier Institute, Vice President and Director of Medical Affairs, Dr. Ingrid Skop recently told Fox News Digital.

“I think the focus of the Democratic Party is on Abortion as an issue That's just because the American people don't understand the law. Women are often hurt by abortions. It's not necessary for women to live their best lives. And of course it’s the scaremongering and the lies that have gotten us to the point where we are today, where people even think there’s a reason to invoke the law.”

Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., and state Rep. Mark Newton have also said they do not believe Georgia laws had anything to do with Thurman's death, claiming it was caused by complications from abortion pills, because doctors may have waited too long to intervene.

HARRIS calls for the repeal of FILIBUSTER to enact the “ROE” abortion law into federal law

“We never deny a woman an abortion because it would harm her in some way. She will always be protected,” McCormick said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“You have every right to an abortion, even with this heartbeat law,” he continued. “Let’s be very clear now. When they say there are no exceptions, there is no law in any state where there are no exceptions. That doesn't exist. It just doesn't work that way. The mother's life is always protected.” But that doesn't mean it's easy to have an abortion just because you have a complication or because something goes wrong.

Get the latest updates on the 2024 election, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital Election Center.

Lindsay Kornick and Jamie Joseph of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.