Rep. Crockett Demands Abbott Release Texas Maternal Mortality Report Before the Midterms

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) called on Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Texas Department of State Health Services Interim Commissioner Imelda Garcia, and Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee Presiding Officer Dr. Carla Ortique to immediately release Texas’s latest maternal mortality report, warning that withholding these findings until after the midterm elections would prevent Texans from the opportunity to examine the state’s maternal health record before casting their ballots. 

“Texas mothers are dying, and instead of giving us answers, Abbott’s administration is hiding that data, right before the midterms,” said Crockett. 

In her letter, Crockett cites recent research documenting worsening maternal health outcomes following the enactment of Senate Bill 8 in 2021, which effectively banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The letter also highlights the state’s decision to forgo analysis of pregnancy-related deaths during the two years immediately following the law’s enactment. 

Recent independent analyses cited in the letter found significant increases in serious pregnancy complications following Texas’s abortion restrictions, including increases in sepsis among women hospitalized during second-trimester pregnancy loss, emergency room visits for early miscarriage, and blood transfusions during miscarriage-related emergency room visits.  

“As the most uninsured state in the country, Texas is already failing women — especially our mothers. And burying that truth to silence families' stories does not erase their reality. Texans deserve the truth. They deserve transparency. And this administration has a legal obligation to give it to them,” said Crockett.

With early voting scheduled to begin October 19, Crockett called on state officials to release the MMMRC’s findings without further delay and fulfill the committee’s statutory responsibility to examine pregnancy-related deaths and help prevent maternal deaths in Texas. 

The full letter can be found here. 

###