In 2012, 148 Texas women died from pregnancy-related causes compared to 72 deaths in 2010. “No other state saw a comparable increase”, reports Molly Redden at The Guardian. In fact, lately, pregnant women in Texas have been dying at an alarming rate. A new study found that death during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth happened between 2011 and 2012 twice as much as it had before. The state report follows the publication of a national study that found Texas’ maternal mortality rate has doubled since 2011. The maternity mortality rates have increased 27 percent from 2000 to 2014, making the U.S the sole developed country where the childbirth-related deaths have increased in the last decades.
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Like most reproductive justice issues, the people most directly impacted by the doubling of the maternal mortality rate are those in communities of color, in this case often black women. Women who are obese have other complications.
Maternal mortality rate is an important indicator of quality of health care across the nation and it somehow reflects inequality in health care service. Especially in rural areas the access to the services appears to be a problem. That compares to 296 deaths in the four years between 2007 and 2010.
Maternal mortality ratio (maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in women aged 15 to 49), by region, 1990, 2010 and 2015.
Based on the statistics, United States is falling far short of United Nations Millennium Development Goal of 75% reduction in maternal mortality by 2015. “While 99 percent of maternal deaths happen in developing countries, the USA shoulders a disproportionate burden for a developed nation”.
Hollier said numerous deaths could be prevented if Texas women had better access to basic healthcare as well as mental healthcare and substance abuse treatment.
A new study shows a dramatic and odd increase in the number of Texas women who are dying from pregnancy-related causes.
The situation is particularly worst in Texas where maternal mortality rate almost doubled in just two years, between 2010 and 2012.
Another issue identified in Texas is that it is one of the states where there are more uninsured people in the U.S. Authorities in Texas have refused to expand Medicaid to cover more uninsured residents.
The problem comes next, given that when a baby is born, there is not a real commitment from Texas government to protect a mother who doesn’t possess enough resources.
Health experts say this sharp increase is extremely rare in developed countries, but believe decreased access to healthcare can explain the rise. In 2011, the Texas legislature reduced about two-thirds from the state’s family planning budget. “The remaining clinics managed to provide services – such as low-priced or free birth control, cancer screenings and well-woman exams – to only half as many women as before”.
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A rise in maternal morality rates has local doctors questioning how to curb those numbers.
