Abstract
Texas leads the nation in maternal mortality and morbidity which intersects with high uninsured rates, abortion bans, and legislative policies promoting medical misinformation. Texas’ legislatively codified Alternatives to Abortion Program allocates tens of millions of dollars per year to crisis pregnancy centers and non-profits with the goal of deterring women from seeking abortions. These clinics do not have to hire medical professionals or obtain licensing for the pregnancy-related services provided to clients. Crisis pregnancy centers do not have to provide accurate medical information or social services to the thousands of people who seek care in a state with increasingly limited options for pregnancy care. The Thriving Texas Families Program must be amended to meet the needs of Texans for life saving care in the face of increased mortality and abortion bans. Practical amendments to the statute like mandatory auditing, extensions to medical professionals, and preventative care will save the lives of Black mothers and children in a professed pro-life state.
Last Page
340
First Page
299
Recommended Citation
Camille Tealer-Misage,
Texas Black Maternal Mortality Crisis: A Spotlight on the Texas Legislature’s Alternatives to Abortion Program,
28
The Scholar
299
(2025).
Available at:
https://commons.stmarytx.edu/thescholar/vol28/iss2/4
Volume Number
28
Issue Number
2
Publisher
St. Mary's University School of Law
Editor
Priscilla Okolie
ISSN
1537-405X
