In Texas, a study by the Gender Equity Policy Institute (GEPI) reveals a sharp increase in maternal deaths since the passage of the abortion ban law in 2021. According to the text, which is based on public data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the maternal mortality rate in the state increased by 56% between 2019 and 2022, while it only increased by 11% in the United States. This phenomenon appears to be directly linked to Texas’ ban on abortion care, which is one of the most restrictive laws in the country, reports NBC News.
In September 2021, the southern state passed SB 8, which bans abortions as early as five weeks of pregnancy, a measure that went into effect before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2022. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said at the time that the law was intended to “protect the life of every unborn child.”
The Critical Impact of SB 8
GEPI researchers attribute a rapid increase in maternal deaths to the new legislation. “There is only one explanation for this dramatic difference in maternal mortality,” says GEPI President Nancy L. Cohen. “All the research points to Texas’s abortion ban as the primary driver of this alarming increase.” She believes Texas could be a precursor to what could happen in other states with similar laws.
The data show an increase in maternal deaths across all populations in the state. The mortality rate for Hispanic women increased from 14.5 to 18.9 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2019 and 2022. For white women, the rate nearly doubled, from 20 to 39.1. Black women, historically at higher risk of maternal death, saw their rate increase from 31.6 to 43.6 deaths.
A climate of fear among women
Health professionals have reported a general sense of fear among their patients since the law passed. Dr. Leah Tatum, an ob-gyn in Austin, said she saw a doubling of requests for sterilization after the law passed. “The fear is something I had never seen in practice before SB 8,” she told NBC News. She said some women, terrified of getting pregnant, are giving up their ability to have children.
This fear is not just about abortion restrictions. In fact, many women in Texas are also being denied quality prenatal care. In states with restrictive laws, it has become much harder to get an appointment with an obstetrician-gynecologist, putting the health of women and their babies at risk.
The Tragic Case of Kaitlyn Kash
Kaitlyn Kash, a 37-year-old mother in Austin, is one of the many women affected by the legislation. In 2021, after an uneventful pregnancy with her first child, Kaitlyn Kash learned that her second baby had severe skeletal dysplasia, a rare and fatal genetic condition. “We were told his bones would break in utero and he would suffocate at birth,” she said. She and her husband expected to receive medical advice to end their child’s suffering.
But because of SB 8, no doctor in Texas could offer her an abortion. At 15 weeks pregnant, she had to travel to Kansas to terminate her pregnancy. She describes the experience as degrading, including being harassed by protesters outside the clinic. “I was treated like a criminal. I wasn’t given the dignity I deserved to say goodbye to my child,” she said. “These patients are asking for help, but the state of Texas has failed to protect women,” Dr. Leah Tatum said.
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