An absolutely gut-wrenching piece today from ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-sepsis-maternal-mortality-analysis
Contains the unsurprising news that #MaternalDeaths go up when #ReproductiveFreedom is stripped away. 👇
Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.

ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis is the most detailed look yet into a rise in life-threatening complications for women experiencing pregnancy loss under Texas’ abortion ban.

ProPublica

I'm often a skeptic on the numbers cited in reporting, because PPL DON'T UNDERSTAND RATIOS (I blog about that periodically), but these researchers established a clear baseline for comparison. HOWEVER ... it's important to note that #MaternalDeaths are strongly differentiated by race & ethnicity in this country:

https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/688063d3176311f3b2ee6c14f02bf4e4/rtc-maternal-health.pdf

Basically, things were rocking along, and the right amount of sepsis is 0 but the next-best amount is the least you can manage ... and then look at that line. #sepsis #preventabledeaths
A friend of mine lost a baby that he and the mom both very much wanted to #abortion - a D&C - because of this exact sepsis problem.
Even if Mom survived, the doctors said, a uterine infection would likely end their hopes of trying again.
They were weeks - I think about a month - to viability.
That Mom almost decided to take the risk anyway tells you how much she wanted that little girl.
I've spent most of the past 2wks writing blog articles for a law firm that handles malpractice cases (I am Not A Lawyer & nothing you see here is legal advice). USUALLY, when doctors fail to apply the #StandardOfCare for XYZ condition, they are susceptible to accusations of negligence (would still have to be proven in court, obvs). #AbortionBans like these throw medical best practices out the window & leave #healthcare pros to practice CYA instead.
And if you were thinking, "Man, maybe #MaternityCare in TX is just really going downhill overall" ... ProPublica thought about that, too.
The visual is STARK.
I'm a huge nerd for research. Mad props to the ProPublica team. ZERO props to the legislators who created the conditions under which #MaternalDeaths in TX **ROSE** by one-third when the rest of the country saw them FALL by nearly 8% over the same period. #AbortionCareIsHealthcare
The piece quotes a couple of lawmakers + assorted law-adjacent sources as saying, basically, "Something ought to be done" ... but, so far, nobody is actually DOING anything.
Meanwhile, the Angel of Death - er, I mean, Gov. Abbott - insists everything's fine.
Probably because, for at least some Republicans, the increase in #MaternalDeaths isn't a bug - it's a feature.
#eugenicists are kinda ok w/losing a few women along the way to stronger breeding stock, right??
/end