At long last, our state’s preliminary maternal mortality and morbidity report has finally published, and as expected, its findings are dire. The delay until after the November election, we suspect, is because of those dire findings.
What does it say about our state that at a time of rapid medical advancement, those who are pregnant are at so much risk? And what does it say that the risk is even higher for Black pregnant people?
It says Texas officials don’t care enough about women’s health, much less ensuring equity when it comes to accessing health care and vital treatment. It says that Texas Republicans talk big about unborn children but give comparatively scant attention to those who give birth.
When our state formed the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee in 2013 in response to a new law, the multidisciplinary professionals found Black women were more than twice as likely as white women, and more than four times as likely as Hispanic women, to die from pregnancy and childbirth. The 2022 joint biennial report paints a similarly grim picture.
The committee reviewed 118 maternal deaths from 2019 and found 52 were pregnancy-related, 42 were pregnancy-associated, but not related; and 24 cases could not be determined.
Of the pregnancy-related deaths, 90% had at least some chance of being preventable, the committee found. All told, the 118 maternal deaths resulted in an estimated 184 children who were left without a mother. The study also found obesity, mental health and discrimination were leading contributors for pregnancy-related deaths.
It also found six underlying causes accounted for 79% of the reviewed 2019 pregnancy-related deaths: obstetric hemorrhage (25%), mental health conditions (17%), noncerebral thrombotic embolism (12%) and injury (10%) were the leading four. Cardiovascular conditions and infection (8%) tied for fifth.
The only good news — if we can call it that — is the report, a joint effort of the committee and the Department of State Health Services, was published recently in advance of the upcoming legislative session. Earlier this year, it was suddenly delayed until 2023.
The report reflects data through part of 2019, so it doesn’t include Senate Bill 8, Texas’ near ban on abortion, or the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade. These seismic changes raise credible fears that the state’s maternal mortality rates will worsen due to forced pregnancies or attempted abortions without appropriate medical guidance or care.
Our state’s leaders should heed the report’s 11 recommendations.
Among them, to “engage Black communities and those that support them in the development of maternal and women’s health programs.”
The committee also recommended the state extend health insurance to cover mothers for a full year after pregnancy — a measure we’ve called for that would help prevent deaths.
During the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee meeting on Dec. 9, state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, spoke about the inherent risks and complications in pregnancy, including her own childbirth experiences. She called the report critical and necessary in drafting legislation.
But it was Nakeenya Wilson, a community advocate committee member and mother of three, who gave us much to consider. Wilson said she suffered “a lot of missed opportunities for optimal care” during childbirth.
“There was no need for a delay” in September to publish the report, Wilson said. “Suppressing and withholding data that does not make us look good is dishonorably burying those women. So, today, this is a memorial and their lives should be seen as a sacrifice for what we will do better for women in Texas.”
We hope her profound statement and the report’s findings resonate with our state’s lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott, and at long last, they will prioritize maternal health and equitable care for all women.
San Antonio Express-News
