Texas state health officials have delayed the release of the annual report on maternal and infant death rates, pushing it back from September 1 to December 1. This postponement means the report's findings will not be public before the November midterm elections.
Texas implemented a near-total abortion ban in September 2021. A ProPublica investigation into the impact of this ban found that in 2022 and 2023, the rate of sepsis in Texas patients experiencing second-trimester miscarriages increased by more than 50%. The study also reported that 120 pregnant or postpartum women died in Texas hospitals during the first two years after the ban, a notable increase from previous years.
The ProPublica study suggests that doctors may be delaying necessary procedures, such as dilation and curettage, due to fears of legal repercussions under the new abortion laws, potentially leading to worsened patient conditions.