Relating to the duties of the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee and the collection, maintenance, and disclosure of maternal health records regarding miscarriage and lack of access to therapeutic termination of pregnancy.

89th Legislature (2025) Introduced by José Menéndez

SB 737 mandates Texas's Maternal Mortality Committee systematically collect and analyze data on miscarriages and denied abortion access to identify healthcare gaps affecting maternal health outcomes.

Referred to Health & Human Services

#abortion(i0005) #health--otherdiseases&medicalconditions(i0383) #medicalrecords(s0104) #pregnancy&childbirth(s0294) #statehealthservices #departmentof(v0463) #texasmaternalmortalityandmorbidityreviewcommittee(v1186) #women(i0925)

Legislative bill overview

SB 737 expands the duties of Texas's Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee to collect and maintain records related to miscarriages and cases where patients lacked access to therapeutic termination of pregnancy (abortion). The bill establishes protocols for how these health records are gathered, stored, and potentially disclosed, creating a formal data collection mechanism around pregnancy loss and abortion access issues.

Why is this important

Texas has one of the nation's highest maternal mortality rates, and understanding the causes—including pregnancy complications and healthcare access barriers—is essential for public health improvement. The bill addresses a documented gap in data collection by mandating systematic tracking of cases involving miscarriage management and abortion access, which could inform policy decisions and clinical practice standards. This creates a formal mechanism to study how restrictive abortion laws may affect maternal health outcomes.

Potential points of contention

Abortion policy clash: The bill centers on documenting cases of denied abortion access, which directly intersects with Texas's near-total abortion ban—supporters view this as necessary accountability; opponents may argue it conflates miscarriage with elective abortion or targets existing restrictions.

Privacy and disclosure concerns: Creating centralized records on reproductive health outcomes raises questions about patient privacy protections, data security, and whether information could be used in criminal investigations given Texas's abortion restrictions.

Committee scope expansion: Opponents may argue the review committee is overstepping its original maternal safety mission by explicitly investigating abortion access policy impacts rather than purely medical factors.