Release the Maternal Mortality Report Before the Election

Release the maternal mortality report now. The Department of State Health Services told the Legislature in December that this report would be published by September 1 — they had a work plan with case reviews ending in May and recommendations finished in June. That deadline has now been quietly pushed to December 1, conveniently after Governor Abbott and other abortion ban supporters face voters. This is the second time the report has been delayed during an Abbott election year. Texans have a right to see the first full-year data on maternal deaths since the abortion ban took effect in 2022 before they cast their ballots. The author of the bill used to justify this delay, Rep. Christian Manuel, has said plainly that his legislation "is improperly being used as a tool to withhold this data from the public ahead of an election." That should alarm you. Press DSHS to release the findings immediately — Texans shouldn't have to elect a governor before learning whether the abortion ban is killing mothers.