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Maternal mortality rates are a continued reflection of the health and overall well-being of a nation.
With maternal mortality rates rising, especially in the state of Georgia, it is a growing necessity that maternal mortality-related deaths are not overlooked. The Georgia Maternal Mortality Review Committee (GMMRC), instated in 2012, “identifies maternal deaths occurring during or within a year of the end of a pregnancy and reviews each case to determine pregnancy-relatedness, causes, and contributing factors, and to make recommendations for interventions to reduce future deaths,” says the Georgia Department of Public Health.
After Roe v. Wade was overturned, Georgia’s 6-week abortion ban continues to threaten the lives of many. This ban prohibits pregnancy termination after cardiac activity is detected, which takes place generally around six weeks after conception. Candi Miller and Amber Thurman are two young Black women who garnered national attention for their deaths, caused directly by the hands of the state of Georgia and demanding urgent attention. The death of these women, as an extension of this ban, reveals the ongoing policing of Black bodies in the state of Georgia, victimizing these two women in their wake.
Many painful details surround the despotism experienced by Candi Miller and Amber Thurman in 2022. However, the most important details lie in the fact that these women did not receive the adequate care they deserved and died as a direct result of Georgia's six-week abortion ban. The injustices reveal the broader implications and inequities within the United States healthcare system and the importance of accountability at the state and national levels. After review, the GMMRC found the death of Candi Miller and Amber Thurman to be preventable, a finding that a member of the committee allegedly leaked. The leaking of this information sparked national outrage as one of many examples of the direct impact that negligent legislative policy has on the lives—and deaths—of vulnerable individuals.
“We Protect Lives” is ironically written on the bottom page of the Georgia Commissioner and State Health Officer’s statement on November 8th, 2024, addressing the disbanding of the GMMRC and the data leak that took place. However, the disruption of the GMMRC illuminates the exact opposite of the three-worded statement, bringing awareness to the continuous attack on Black birthing people in Georgia and, more broadly, within the United States. By refusing to provide the names of those who have recently joined the committee and inadequately addressing the data breach of the GMMRC, the state of Georgia exhibits a continuous lack of transparency and accountability, two core tenets necessary to gain the trust of a community.
This lack of clarity fortifies the long-standing neglect of Black birthing people in the state of Georgia. It reinforces pervasive distrust in medical systems that have plagued Black communities for centuries. House Bill 46 and House Bill 89 are two bills introduced in this recent legislative session relating to reinstating the since-disbanded GMMRC. The purpose of House Bill 46, a left-leaning bill, is to establish the grounds for the removal of GMMRC members; to mandate reporting obligations to the General Assembly; to provide procedures for filling vacancies on the committee; to ensure compliance with confidentiality laws; to authorize investigations and reports concerning unauthorized disclosures of confidential information; to address related provisions; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other lawful purposes. This bill helps to ensure accountability is upheld within the public health sector in Georgia, ensuring that the GMMRC operates with integrity and transparency, which was overlooked when the Commissioner and State Health Office abruptly disbanded the committee.
This bill made it to the House of Second Readers on January 16th, 2025, where it died. On the other hand, House Bill 89, a right-leaning bill, requires healthcare providers, facilities, and pharmacies to share psychiatric and clinical records with the GMMRC. It would also allow the committee to access clinical records of deceased patients and remove the rule that investigations into pregnant deaths must go through a regional perinatal center. The bill also addresses related issues and repeals any conflicting laws. On the other hand, House Bill 89 introduces limitations that could undermine the effectiveness of the GMMRC. This bill would limit access to critical clinical information or reduce transparency by altering oversight structures. While proponents of the bill may argue it aims to protect patient privacy, it raises concerns about the committee’s ability to conduct thorough investigations and make informed policy recommendations that could save lives.
On March 3rd, House Bill 89 was passed in the House, with 168 yeas and 7 nays. On March 18th, 2025, House Bill 89 passed in the Senate with 50 yeas and one nay. Georgia is at a pivotal crossroads in the battle for reproductive justice. The proposed Reproductive Freedom Act (HB 598/SB 246) would repeal Georgia’s dangerous six-week abortion ban, restoring access to lifesaving reproductive healthcare and affirming bodily autonomy for all Georgians—particularly Black women and marginalized communities that these types of restrictions have disproportionately harmed. The two competing bills in the past legislative session—HB 46 and HB 89—would alter the behavior and activities of the newly instated committee, absent statutory provision, in both a possibly positive and negative way. T
he left-leaning HB 46 proposal prioritizes accountability and transparency by mandating reporting to the General Assembly, specifying procedures for removing committee members, and permitting investigations into data breaches. HB 89, however, includes none of the same safeguards and could undermine oversight. Reproductive justice centers the right to bodily autonomy for all people; this includes the right to have or not have children and to parent those children in safe, sustainable communities. However, the lack of transparency and accountability demonstrated by the Georgia Maternal Mortality Review Committee (GMMRC) directly contradicts these core values. Despite recent legislative efforts intended to improve maternal health outcomes, the GMMRC has been quietly reinstated without publicly releasing the names of its current members. This secrecy undermines community trust and obstructs public oversight, making it impossible to ensure that those making critical decisions about maternal mortality in Georgia are truly representative and qualified. The unwillingness to disclose membership details not only raises concerns about bias and effectiveness but also violates the principles of liberation and equity that reproductive justice demands for all birthing people in the state.
On each end of the spectrum, these legislative actions can help to restore trust or further exacerbate mistrust, build or diminish reproductive justice, and save or endanger the lives of Georgia’s most vulnerable. Now is the time to continue to educate yourself and learn about the actions you can take to support reproductive justice and protect the rights of all individuals to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives. These vital steps are necessary to protect reproductive rights, ensure accountability, and save lives in our most vulnerable communities. Stand with Sister Love and let your voice be heard in the fight for reproductive justice in Georgia.
In Solidarity,
Nia Robertson, Intern at Spelman College
Justice, Law, and Policy Project (JLPP)
SisterLove, Inc.
May 2, 2025
