In a significant development, the state of Texas has postponed the release of a crucial report on maternal deaths until after the upcoming election, a decision that has raised concerns among women’s health advocates and lawmakers. This delay is seen as a barrier to implementing lifesaving recommendations and hinders lawmakers from initiating legislative changes that could improve maternal health outcomes.
State Representative Donna Howard, D-Austin, expressed her dismay at the rally outside the Texas Department of State Health Services headquarters, stating, “State leadership would rather sweep the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee’s biannual report under the rug than be held accountable for the impact their policies have had on the lives of Texas moms.”
Originally scheduled for release by September 1, the maternal mortality report is now delayed until December due to a law enacted in 2025 that allows state agencies more time to submit health and safety-related reports to the governor. For the first time, this report will include data on maternal deaths occurring after Texas enacted its abortion ban in 2021, making its findings particularly relevant to current discussions about reproductive health in the state.
The Texas Department of State Health Services has clarified that the report is undergoing a standard internal review process. “As part of that process, the acting commissioner has asked the committee to strengthen the report by further describing its work around preventability, better defining the sources of its recommendations, and making clearer connections between the underlying data, findings, and recommendations,” a spokesperson for the department stated.
This marks the second consecutive instance where the maternal mortality committee’s findings have not been released until after a midterm election, with the previous delay occurring in 2022.
Impact of the Delay on Texas Women
Advocates for women’s health have highlighted that this delay is detrimental to Texas women in three significant ways:
1. Lack of Awareness
Firstly, the delay keeps pregnant Texans unaware of potential risks associated with maternal deaths in previous years, which could help inform their healthcare decisions.
2. Legislative Constraints
Secondly, it limits the time available for state lawmakers to draft and pre-file legislation based on the report’s recommendations, with the prefiling period for the next legislative session beginning on November 9.
3. Political Considerations
Lastly, the delay prevents voters concerned about maternal mortality from utilizing the report’s information to make informed decisions about their political candidates ahead of the election on November 3.
Raven E. Freeborn, a doula and CEO of the pro-abortion group Avow Texas, criticized the delay, stating, “All of this amounts to a systemic and politically-motivated cover-up. We cannot allow hidden agendas to be the reasons Texans don’t survive their pregnancies.”
Personal Stories Highlighting the Issue
At the rally, photos of women who died due to pregnancy complications were displayed, underscoring the gravity of the situation. One of the featured individuals was Tierra Walker, whose family has filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, blaming the state’s abortion ban for preventing timely medical interventions during her pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, which ultimately led to her death in 2024.
Recent reports have indicated a rising danger associated with pregnancy in Texas since the implementation of the abortion ban. A study by ProPublica highlighted a 50% increase in sepsis rates among women hospitalized after losing pregnancies in the second trimester, with a similar rise noted for deaths resulting from ectopic pregnancies in states with strict abortion laws.
Political Responses and Future Outlook
State Representative Vikki Goodwin, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, also attended the rally, emphasizing the alarming trend of women leaving Texas due to safety concerns during pregnancy. “Women are leaving this state because they don’t feel safe being pregnant in Texas,” she remarked, labeling the situation as “incredibly unfortunate and unacceptable.”
The last maternal mortality report reviewed cases from 2019 and 2020, skipping the years 2022 and 2023 in favor of focusing on more recent data from 2021 and 2024. The committee has been tracking maternal deaths from 2021, reporting 277 cases associated with pregnancy during that year, indicating a troubling trend that underscores the need for timely and actionable data.
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett has called out Texas Governor Greg Abbott regarding the report’s delay, asserting that the Abbott administration has failed Texas mothers. In her letter, she stated, “Concealing the official data that demonstrates your failures until after the election denies Texans the opportunity to examine updated data on your failures less than 30 days before early voting is set to begin on October 19.”
