Daily Dispatch 9/19/24: Maternal Morbidity Stats Show Wide Racial Healthcare Disparity in Texas, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: The annual report from the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee shows a dramatic uptick in maternal deaths within one year of giving birth - being suffered mostly by Black and Hispanic mothers: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/18/maternal-mortality-2020-2021/ Ted Cruz has helped Republicans in the U.S. Senate avoid a vote on requiring insurance companies to pay for IVF treatments - they'd rather not be forced to say yes or no to a popular option that involves the destruction of unused embryos: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/election/2024/article/ted-cruz-ivf-colin-allred-19772025.php Ken Paxton has left nine of the ten real estate properties he owns off of his legally-required financial statement to the Texas Ethics Commission: https://www.kut.org/2024-09-18/texas-attorney-general-ken-paxton-homes-houses-property-ownership-transparency-ethics ...San Antonio Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer writes in an op-ed of his theory that Paxton's efforts against urban voter registration is out of the fear that those new voters will oppose his worldview: https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/commentary/article/ken-paxton-texas-voting-lawsuit-19766720.php ...Paxton appears to have pressured Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson into asking federal officials for help in verifying the citizenship of people registering to vote: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/texas-asks-government-for-help-verifying-voters-immigration-status-citizenship/287-278fb63b-ae50-45ba-b1c0-787997da67da ...Paxton has also left key information out of his warnings to voters not to try to register if they're not eligible: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/election/article292560309.html See Progress Texas' guide to fun events happening across the state during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which continues through October 15: https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-texas-culture-national-hispanic-heritage-month See Progress Texas' analysis of Project 2025, and what it will mean for Texas should it be enacted: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/project-2025-vs-progress-2025⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ...And a complete guide to Project 2025 from Media Matters: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The deadline to register for the November election is October 7. Are you registered? Are you sure? ALL Texas voters should confirm their registration, right now: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://govotetexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ...Please pitch in to help fund our recent expansion of that important voting resource with Hindi, Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese translation: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/coming-soon-govotetexasorg-adds-commonly-spoken-languages-increase-ballot-access⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And, our September membership drive is underway! We want to add 50 new members to the Progress Texas family in the form of regular monthly supporters at the $10, $25 or $50 level - if you join the team before the end of September, we'll hook you up with an exclusive invitation to our Holiday Party this December! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.