As HPPR has reported in the past, the mortality rate for new mothers in Texas has skyrocketed in recent years.
Texas now has a higher rate of pregnancy-related deaths than anywhere in the developed world.
Yet, as Jezebel noted this weekend, Texas lawmakers did virtually nothing to try to fix the problem during the legislative session that just ended.
Because of the long gaps between legislative terms in Texas, that means women in Texas will have to wait until 2019 for any hope of positive action in this area. Critics charge that Republican Legislators in Austin have often been hostile to women and careless when it comes to women’s health.
Despite the urgency of the issue, this legislative period was largely overshadowed by highly charged political issues like the so-called “bathroom bill” and the controversial sanctuary cities legislation.