Georgia to replace members of maternal mortality committee

Georgia officials earlier this month dismissed the members of the state’s maternal mortality review committee, or MMRC, according to a letter published Thursday by nonprofit media outlet ProPublica. In the letter, State Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey said the board was disbanded after an individual on the board shared confidential information with outside individuals. An investigation into the incident did not determine who leaked the information, Toomey wrote. The committee members will be replaced through a new application process, according to the letter, and the change will not delay the MMRC’s responsibilities. Toomey did not say when the new committee members would begin working.

What prompted the dismissal? Though Toomey did not elaborate on what confidential information had been released, a September report from ProPublica said that the state’s pro-life law contributed to the 2022 deaths of two women. ProPublica’s report indicated that the MMRC determined that the deaths were preventable. Pro-life doctors have since clarified that both women died as a result of complications after taking abortion pills. Candi Miller, 41, ordered the pills online and did not seek medical attention when the abortion was incomplete. Amber Thurman, 28, traveled to North Carolina to obtain the drugs and developed sepsis after the abortion was incomplete and doctors waited 20 hours to remove the remaining tissue.

Why was the committee formed? The state established the committee in 2013 to study maternal deaths in the state. The board is made up of more than 30 OB-GYNs, healthcare workers, and health administrators who collect and analyze data. In a 2023 report the committee found that 89% of maternal deaths reported from 2018 to 2020 had at least some chance of being prevented. Georgia has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than one-third of counties in the state do not have adequate access to maternity care, according to nonprofit March of Dimes.

Dig deeper: Read my report in Relations about maternity care deserts around the country.