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Texas Matters: Ectopic pregnancy deaths rise, maternal mortality report delayed and ICE at polling places

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Deaths involving ectopic pregnancies have nearly doubled in the United States. Almost 200 women died following an ectopic pregnancy from 2020 through 2025, compared with roughly 100 during the preceding six years, according to research from
A new ProPublica analysis.

ProPublica also found that Texas and other states with strict abortion bans have higher than the national average for deaths involving ectopic pregnancies.

The increase began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when disrupted health care likely contributed to delayed diagnoses. But deaths remained elevated afterward.

Andrea Suozo is a data reporter at ProPublica. She co-authored the story “Ectopic pregnancy deaths have nearly doubled. It’s worse in states, like Texas, with abortion bans.”

Maternal mortality report delayed

Texas has postponed the release of its latest maternal mortality report. Now it won’t be released until after the midterm elections and just weeks before state lawmakers return to Austin.

The delay is raising concerns about transparency and whether policymakers will have enough time to respond to the findings.

Kari White is a nonresident fellow in maternal and reproductive health at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. She is also the executive and scientific director of Resound Research for Reproductive Health.

Lawsuit over ICE at polling places

Federal immigration agents could appear at polling places during the November midterm elections.

Homeland Security officials say ICE will not patrol voting sites or conduct operations targeting them. But DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin says armed agents could enter a polling location to respond to a threat — or to arrest someone they have been tracking.

Common Cause, LULAC and several other organizations argue that this exception opens the door to voter intimidation, particularly in Latino communities and among naturalized citizens and families with mixed immigration status.

They are suing the Trump administration, asking a federal judge to block armed immigration officers from entering polling places and ballot-drop locations.

Maryam Jazini Dorcheh, vice president of litigation at Common Cause, Joins discusses the lawsuit, its legal foundation and what it could mean for voters.

David Martin Davies is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering Texas, the border and Mexico. Davies is the host of "The...