Maternal Mortality Combined with Bro Rape Culture - Americans Can Never Say There is No War on Women
Unintended Consequences Abound...
It is shocking to say the least that certain “red” states are hiding maternal mortality by getting rid of members of review committees that review data on women who have died either during childbirth, or shortly thereafter.
No one can say with the recent nominations by the incoming administration that there is no war on women - the “bro” culture Trump has embraced has made that issue clear. With more sexual offenders slated to reside at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. than ever before - we got to ask, What is wrong with the American culture? Anything less would be to perpetuate a fallacy that those who inhabit our nation’s highest offices are of the “highest” caliber. It would also be a fallacy to hide death data on pregnant women who died - who were denied reproductive care to save their lives.
It is only after a “ProPublica” revelation that Americans became aware of the cases of maternal death in both Georgia and Texas - the result of those states’ extreme abortion bans.
In a recent ProPublica article by the investigative journalist, Amy Yurkanin, we learn about what appears to be state-sanctioned coverups; that is a firing of state Maternal Review Boards (MAC’s), to shield the outcomes of their review from the public - and even worse, from the families of the dead women.
According to ProPublica Report:
In Georgia, the commissioner of the State Department of Public Health, Dr. Kathleen Toomey dismissed the Maternal Mortality Review Committee based on allegations they “inappropriately shared [information] with outside individuals.” This will no doubt cause gaps in data assessments and reports as a result of this dismissal. So what’s the rationale?
The timing of those “dismissals” in November follow the release of the ProPublica report back in September on the deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller; reports which that committee had determined were preventable. For the first time in the state of Georgia, it had been reviewed and reported on women who died without access to care restricted by a state abortion ban.
As we saw after the release of this information - people across the country, mainly women, took to the streets in protest. Vice President Kamala Harris made it a focal point of her presidential campaign and women across the nation responded. Even men found themselves voting in state elections on issues related to abortion, waiting times, number of weeks, and whether to allow exceptions in situations of rape or incest.
Despite the needless tragedies, the Georgia state Maternal Mortality Review Committee members received a dismissal letter stating:
“[E]ffective immediately the current MMRC is disbanded, and all member seats will be filled through a new application process.” The rationale by the head of the health department was that confidential information was leaked, and that no one came forward to admit the leak, so that all were terminated.
But not to be outdone, this is what happened in Texas:
In 2022, Texas committee member Nakeenya Wilson, a community advocate, spoke out against the state’s decision to delay the release of its report during an election year. The following year, the Legislature passed a law that created a second community advocate position on the committee, redefined the position and had Wilson reapply. She was not reappointed. The state instead filled one of the slots with a prominent anti-abortion activist.
States Having Voting Referendums, Shows Voters Engage on Abortion Issue
State ballot measures on abortion rights win in 7 out of 10 states voting on this issue. In the November 2024 election, a record-breaking 10 US states featured ballot measures that would enshrine abortion rights, and in some cases other reproductive rights, in the state constitution, and one state also featured an anti-abortion measure. Two of these states—Missouri and South Dakota—have total abortion bans in place. In the remaining eight states, data from Guttmacher’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study show that an estimated 308,210 abortions (or about 30% of the national total) were provided by clinicians in these states in 2023. Seven out of the 10 ballot measures supporting abortion rights passed and the anti-abortion measure in Nebraska also passed.
Unintended Consequences…
How will all this end? No one knows. But it is no surprise that OBGYN doctors are fleeing these ‘red’ states - creating a maternal dessert where no women at all will be served. Hence the truth in the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for” - as one day what you wish for, may someday affect you!
Copyright 2024 - Mary Kay Elloian, MBA, JD, Esq. - The Legal Edition - Legal, Business & Policy News - All Rights Reserved. TheLegalEdition.com
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