1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Greetings. I am a voting constituent in rural west Texas. “The number of women in Texas who died while pregnant, during labor or soon after childbirth skyrocketed following the state’s 2021 ban on abortion care — far outpacing a slower rise in maternal mortality across the nation, a new investigation of federal public health data finds. From 2019 to 2022, the rate of maternal mortality cases in Texas rose by 56%, compared with just 11% nationwide during the same time period, according to an analysis by the Gender Equity Policy Institute. The nonprofit research group scoured publicly available reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and shared the analysis exclusively with NBC News. “There’s only one explanation for this staggering difference in maternal mortality,” said Nancy L. Cohen, president of the GEPI. “All the research points to Texas’ abortion ban as the primary driver of this alarming increase.”” 9/21/24 When our GOP legislature passed SB 8 banning abortion care as early as 5 weeks into pregnancy in 2021, (nearly a year before SCOTUS overturned Roe v Wade) Gov. Abbott lauded the bill as a measure that “ensures the life of every unborn child.” This simple statement belies reality. Texas law now prohibits all abortion except to save the life of the mother. But it does not actually provide that option in any clear-cut manner. If it did, we wouldn’t have had such a rise in maternal mortality. Doctors are afraid to treat their patients in dire need. Women are avoiding pre-natal care. Women are choosing sterilization over pregnancy in the fear that if something is abnormal during the pregnancy, their state will not take care of them. Or rather, won’t allow them to take care of themselves. And if you think there are no back-alley abortions going on as a result of SB 8 you are deluded. Vaguely written laws by politicians, not doctors, are killing your constituents. Your laws are causing mental and physical anguish in families. Your laws are causing women to choose a future of not having children, ever, because of the fear you have created around pregnancy. It is not the doctors’ fault, or hospitals’ this is happening. It is black or white attitudes combined with poorly written laws that have caused it all. Any future clarification is likely predicated on the amount of tragedy caused in the meantime. Your GOP presidential candidate continually touts the (untrue) universally-desired wish to send women’s decisions over their own bodies back to politicians in their home states. He has the uninformed belief that voters in all states are able to impact the direction of such far-reaching abortion bans. He has never lived in Texas. Controlled for decades by Republicans. In other words, Texas women are SOL in their home state. Because of elected officials. Let’s all hope that elections actually do have consequences come November. You should have minded your own damn business.