Dec 20, 2024 Story by: Editor
Members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability are pressing Texas’ maternal mortality committee to explain its decision not to review pregnancy- and childbirth-related deaths from the first two years following the state’s near-total abortion ban.
The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee announced in September that it would skip evaluating deaths from 2022 and 2023, instead focusing on 2024. Dr. Carla Ortique, the committee chair and a Houston-based OB/GYN, defended this move during a recent meeting, stating that it was intended to provide more up-to-date recommendations for reducing maternal deaths.
However, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat representing the Dallas area, along with three other members of the House Oversight Committee, has raised concerns about whether this decision was influenced by the “chilling effect on reproductive care” in Texas.
In a letter sent to the Texas Department of State Health Services on Thursday morning, the lawmakers wrote: “Ignoring pregnancy-related deaths during one of the deadliest periods in Texas for pregnant women directly contradicts [the maternal mortality committee’s] statutorily required mission of eliminating preventable maternal deaths in Texas.”
The letter was signed by Crockett, ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.). It requests a briefing from the state health agency by Jan. 2. The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Concerns Over Skipped Years
Texas was the first and largest state to enforce a near-total abortion ban, making it critical, according to the letter, to analyze maternal deaths from that period and share findings with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other states.
Last year, Texas lawmakers allocated funds to develop a maternal death tracking system aimed at ending the state’s participation in national data sharing. Dr. Ortique and other committee members have voiced concerns about how this shift could impact data collection both within Texas and nationwide.
The 23-member maternal mortality committee is tasked with investigating maternal deaths to understand the underlying causes and providing biennial recommendations for improving outcomes. Its September report revealed that maternal deaths surged in 2020 and 2021, reversing prior progress. These outcomes worsened for every group except white women, with Black women continuing to bear a disproportionate burden.
Anticipated Impact of Abortion Restrictions
Many researchers and advocates fear maternal mortality rates will climb further due to Texas’ abortion restrictions. While the law permits abortions to save the life of a pregnant person, confusion and fear of severe penalties have led to delays or denials of care. Numerous women have shared stories of traveling out of state for life-saving procedures. ProPublica reported on three pregnant Texans who died after the laws took effect.
In Georgia, similar cases prompted the removal of all members from that state’s maternal mortality review committee.
Public Backlash to the Decision
Texas’ committee has skipped some years in the past to provide more current recommendations, but the decision to omit the years immediately following the abortion ban has sparked widespread concern among advocates, researchers, and doctors. At a recent committee meeting, many voiced their unease.
Nakeenya Wilson, a former committee member, testified: “I know that we’ve always talked about how we want to be as contemporary as possible. What I am concerned about is the fact that the two years that we were skipping are the most crucial years of reproductive health in this country’s history.”
The decision has also alarmed pregnant women and their families, as maternal deaths continue to rise. Source: OA Online
