Pregnancy can be a joyous and difficult time for many mothers, but in Texas it is turning out to be deadly. Overall the rate of maternal deaths globally is on the rise but there is a mystery as to why in Texas the maternal death rate has doubled from 2010-2014 from the most recent study conducted. It is being reported that more than 600 women have died while they were pregnant or within six weeks of giving birth.
A recent article in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical Journal has indicated Black women are the most affected by maternal death. The report stated that Black women accounted for 11 percent of the births but accounted for 28 percent of the maternal deaths. The report noted three main causes: cardiac events or heart problems, overdose of prescription drugs and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. These disorders include pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, which are also known as toxemia of pregnancy. These conditions are aggravated by obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cesarean delivery and late prenatal care. Ailments that are all too common in the health of the Black community.
Critics of the health system in Texas are pointing to state cuts in reproductive health care. These cuts have led to the closing of at least 80 family planning health clinics that offer services to many poor and neglected communities. In a recent interview, Dr. Lisa Hollier, director of the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force, noted the effects of the closings. She stated that as an example that mothers in Nacogdoches, Texa,s were once able to get services at a clinic that was 20 miles from home. Now these mothers have to travel 180 miles to get services, an impact that could be a factor in the high maternal death rate.
In Texas, the rate of maternal mortality doubled to 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, between 2009 and 2010, to approximately 36 deaths per 100,000 births between 2011 and 2012, according to the study. The study further stated that it is an “international embarrassment” that the United States has been unable to provide national maternal mortality data since 2007.
