Texas delays maternal mortality report release until after elections

Texas officials have delayed the release of the state’s maternal mortality report, moving the expected publication date from September 1 to December. This delay means the data will not be available to voters before the upcoming elections.

Reports indicate that maternal mortality rates in Texas have risen substantially even as national rates have dropped. Analysis by ProPublica suggests a correlation between the state's abortion ban and increased medical complications, noting that sepsis among patients hospitalized for second-trimester pregnancy loss rose by 55%, and blood transfusions during emergency room visits for first-trimester miscarriages rose by 54% following the ban.

Critics, including State Representative Ann Johnson, have characterized the delay as an ‘unconscionable dereliction of duty.’ Furthermore, the upcoming report will not include data from 2022 and 2023, the first two years following the implementation of the state's abortion restrictions.