In the State of Texas, the death rate for new mothers is now higher than any other place in the developed world.
As The Texas Observer reports, according to a 2016 study the Texas maternal mortality rate doubled over a two-year period, beginning in 2014. In response, the state Legislature has filed a few bills that would research the problem and increase screenings for postpartum depression.
But health-care advocates say the reason for the spike is simple: a lack of health care for women.
Texas has repeatedly rejected federal Medicaid funds that would cover 1.1 million additional Texans. Republicans in the Legislature have also slashed funding to preventive screenings and other women’s health services.
State Representative Armando Walle, Democrat of Houston, says the very real issue of Texas mothers dying at a high rate is being drowned out by distractions like the bathroom bill.