Last month, Amber Thurman’s tragic story went viral. An online article told the details of how the 28-year-old Georgian died unexpectedly from “acute severe sepsis” after taking the abortion pill while nine weeks pregnant with twins. Although the piece is skewed, it is right to note that Thurman’s death was preventable – but not for the reasons it outlines.

As the reporter presents it, Thurman’s death was the inevitable result of a Georgia state law that protects unborn life after the sixth week of pregnancy. But nothing could be further from the truth.

As writtenthe law does not deny any care to pregnant women who are experiencing a medical emergency, a “spontaneous abortion” (a miscarriage) or a stillbirth. As defined in the law, this constitutes a medical emergency

a condition in which an abortion is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or the substantial and irreversible physical damage to an important bodily function of a pregnant woman.

Georgia state law also allows for the removal of an unborn child who has died as a result of a “spontaneous abortion,” miscarriage or stillbirth. In such cases, medical professionals are not punished for removing the deceased child from the mother’s womb.

Contrary to the reporter’s presentation of the facts, there is nothing in Georgia’s pro-life law that would have prohibited Thurman from receiving the health care she needed. Thurman’s condition clearly constituted a medical emergency. If the doctors had performed a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure, or even an abortion to save her life, they would have acted within the bounds of the law.

In fact, there are no states whose laws deny health care to pregnant women or criminally charge them for abortions. During a recent congressional hearing, Senator James Lankford interviewed attorney Heather G. Hacker to clear up any confusion about states’ laws on abortion. Here’s an excerpt from the hearing:

Lanford: Ms. Hacker, just to clarify: are there states where women can be prosecuted for having an abortion?

Hacker: No.

Lanford: Are there states that criminalize miscarriage?

Hacker: No.

Lanford: Or care for a miscarriage?

Hacker: No.

Lanford: Do any states criminalize the removal of an ectopic pregnancy?

Hacker: No.

Lanford: Are there states that prohibit life-saving maternal care?

Hacker: No.

Lanford: Are there states where women must be actively dying before a doctor can act for her care?

Hacker: No.

The problem isn’t pro-life laws. The problem is poor medical care and misinformation. According to the Georgia state commission that reviewed Thurman’s case, the hospital responsible for Thurman’s care had a “lack of policies/procedures to promptly evacuate the uterus.” The author even admits that it was not clear from the medical documents why doctors delayed care.

A recent one AP News The piece found that even in states where abortion is allowed, pregnant women have suffered otherwise avoidable losses. Hospitals examined here were understaffed, poorly equipped and often operated with poorly trained support teams.

A larger part of the problem is simply the intrinsic dangers of chemical abortion. Contrary to what the Thurman piece claims, the abortion pill is far from safe. Research found that “one in five women experienced an adverse reaction after a chemical abortion, and so did the rate of complications four times higher in chemical abortions compared to surgical abortions.” In reality, the FDA’s own label warns that one in 25 women who use abortion drugs will end up in the emergency room.

This is why pro-life obstetricians and physicians have long advocated better care for pregnant women and their unborn children. As pro-life OBGYN Christina Francis has noted:

In the rare but tragic situations where a pregnancy puts the mother’s life at risk, it does medical procedures for compassionately separating the mother and her baby and working to save both lives. The sole purpose of an abortion is to produce a dead baby. Women deserve to be empowered by medically accurate information.

Thurman’s preventable death was a tragedy. But the poor care for pregnant women is no reason to abolish pro-life laws and return to a system governed by Roo. Legalizing abortion kills babies, and it certainly doesn’t make for a safer world.

This Breaking point  was co-authored with Jared Hayden. If you are a fan of Breaking pointleave a review on your favorite podcast app. For more information on how to live as a Christian in this cultural moment, visit breakpoint.org.