Regarding “Texas Children’s opens $200M expanded Pavilion for Women in Houston,” (July 29): In Texas, 11.3% of pregnant women defer prenatal care until the third trimester or indefinitely, due to Medicaid enrollment delays and provider shortages. Late or missing prenatal care correlates with pre-term birth, low birth weight, and infant and maternal mortality.

The problem is national. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s trillion-dollar Medicaid cut may throw 7.5 million off the rolls by 2034. That will disproportionately harm women of color, who already have the highest maternal mortality rates.

So will abortion restrictions. Women are 14 times more likely to die from carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term than having an abortion. State abortion bans make few exceptions when the mother’s life or health is threatened. States with those bans may see maternal deaths rise 9.2%.

Black women (25 and older) are nearly four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than whites. This disparity cannot be explained by socioeconomic factors; it points to systemic discrimination and barriers to accessing care.

Among high-income countries, the U.S. is the only one without federally mandated paid maternity leave or guaranteed postpartum home visits and has by far one of the highest maternal death rate.

But 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. We already know how to save these lives with prenatal care, postpartum care and affordable health insurance. The Texas Legislature should expand care access. Washington should fully fund Title X, Healthy Start and Medicaid coverage of prenatal and postnatal care.

Lauren Blake is a rising junior at Duke University and a Stanback Fellow at the Population Institute.