We are unlikely to get timely answers: This week, our reporting team revealed states that have recently imposed strict bans on abortion have done little to determine whether the laws are contributing to maternal deaths.
In a few of these states, political leaders who backed the strict bans have actively blocked the work of maternal mortality review committees, whose job it is to delve into the reasons pregnant people die. This includes dismissing entire committees and weeding out members “openly critical of abortion bans or supportive of transparency” our reporters found.
Texas’ committee is legally blocked from reviewing deaths that could be considered abortion-related, including some miscarriage care. Despite the Biden administration’s goal of understanding the public health impact of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not pushed states to track deaths linked to abortion bans.
“We’re not acting like we want to know the answer to this question,” Caitlin Myers, a researcher at Middlebury College, told ProPublica.
Abortion rights advocates and medical professionals have warned that abortion bans would lead to more deaths. Without a broader review of maternal deaths, knowing the actual scale of the impact is likely impossible. Instead, we are left with the stories of Josseli, Nevaeh, Porsha, Amber and Candi — a devastating but incomplete picture.
What we do know: Miscarriage is common; it happens in up to 1 out of every 4 known pregnancies. Most miscarriages resolve on their own, but some can lead to dangerous complications. While reporting this year, ProPublica journalists heard similar stories from women who survived and the families of those who did not.
“They all felt unprepared as they entered emergency rooms, unaware of how abortion laws were reaching into pregnancy care,” reporters Kavitha Surana and Lizzie Presser wrote. “They wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves and their loved ones.”
That’s why our reporters created a guide, in consultation with dozens of doctors, for anyone who finds themselves in a similar position.
This guide does not provide medical or legal advice. We encourage you to seek out other reliable resources and consult with experts you trust. But if you or someone in your life is pregnant or planning to become pregnant, you can share it with them, before an emergency.
