The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMMRC) has welcomed Dr. Ingrid Skop, a staunch anti-abortion OBGYN, to its ranks. This decision by the Texas health department comes under intense scrutiny as healthcare professionals warn that the state's rigid abortion laws are a threat to women's lives by limiting access to a full range of medical care. Skop, a defender of the state's position on abortion, joins the committee's now 23-strong team tasked with scrutinizing pregnancy-related deaths in the year 2020.
Skop's appointment, announced in the waning hours of last week, signals the departure of Nakeenya Wilson, a nonprofit leader and vocal advocate for maternal health, particularly for Black women suffering disproportionately high rates of maternal death. A statement obtained by the Houston Chronicle from Wilson underscored the role that discrimination plays in these adverse health outcomes. Confronted with the high maternal mortality rate, Skop believes that rigorous discourse is needed to unpack the complex factors behind these harrowing statistics.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, Texas OB-GYNs and medical associations are up in arms over new proposed rules by the Texas Medical Board (TMB) that, in their eyes, could endanger pregnant women further by creating additional burdens for doctors. Laid out on March 22, these guidelines oblige physicians to document attempts to transfer patients to avoid performing an abortion and to enumerate alternative treatments tried, which critics claim, could delay critical, lifesaving care.
During the board's recent grueling five-hour public commentary session, OB-GYN Dr. Joseph Valenti, representing the Texas Medical Association, lambasted the guidelines for their complexity which could potentially hinder doctors' Hippocratic oath, as mentioned in an interview given to the American-Statesman. The assembled healthcare professionals largely concurred that the board's draft guidelines exacerbated confusion and legal trepidation among physicians operating under Texas' stringent abortion ban. Speakers emphasized that dead mothers do not lead to live babies, debunking the notion that overly restrictive abortion laws equate to greater protection for both mother and unborn child.
