Texas banned most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy in September 2021, and in summer 2022, expanded that ban to all abortions from the moment of conception, except to save the life of the pregnant patient.

There have since been countless stories of doctors delaying or denying pregnancy care due to fear and confusion about how the law would be applied. At least three women have died, ProPublica has reported, due to delayed or mismanaged miscarriage care. Doctors found to have violated the law face up to life in prison, fines of at least $100,000 and the loss of their medical license.

Texas’ maternal mortality committee, responsible for reviewing maternal deaths and near-misses, has come under increased scrutiny since these laws went into effect. Some of the criticisms lay at the feet of the Legislature, which created the committee in 2013. The original statute prohibits the review of abortion-related deaths, a caveat that even committee members were not aware of until a few months ago.

The committee’s last report, released in September, showed that maternal deaths surged in 2020 and 2021, even with COVID deaths excluded. Black women remain far more likely to die than anyone else, although every group except white women saw their odds of dying increase.