Resound Research for Reproductive Health co-authored a new editorial in the American Journal of Public Health examining the ethical and public health implications of restricting maternal mortality data in the post-Dobbs era.
In “Post-Dobbs Realities: Ethical Imperatives for Data Transparency and Trust in Maternal Health Care,” authors from the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine, the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and Resound Research for Reproductive Health analyze how delays and limitations in maternal mortality data reporting — particularly in Texas — affect transparency, accountability, and public trust in health systems.
Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) are designed to evaluate pregnancy-related deaths, identify preventable factors, and issue evidence-based recommendations. These committees also contribute standardized data to national surveillance systems that monitor maternal health trends across states.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, several states took steps to delay, modify, or restrict MMRC activities. In Texas, biennial maternal mortality reports were delayed, committee members were not permitted to review abortion-related deaths, and maternal deaths from 2022 and 2023 were not analyzed. Texas is also not currently participating in the CDC’s Maternal Mortality Review Information Application System.
These actions limit the ability of public health officials, researchers, and policymakers to assess the real-time impacts of reproductive health policy changes on maternal outcomes.
Research has projected that abortion bans could lead to a 21% increase in overall U.S. maternal mortality and a 33% increase in pregnancy-related deaths among Black Americans. In a context where racial disparities in maternal mortality already persist, timely and transparent data are essential to advancing health equity.
Public health ethics emphasize that transparency requires open communication and the timely release of findings — even when results are politically sensitive. When maternal health data are delayed or withheld, it undermines institutional trust and weakens the foundation of evidence-based policy.
Maternal health equity depends on robust surveillance systems, complete reporting, and transparent dissemination of findings. Data transparency is not simply a technical requirement — it is a core ethical obligation in public health practice.
Read the full editorial in the American Journal of Public Health here:
https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308343