The Cheat Sheet Part I

Dear policy watchers,

As promised, we made a little easy to understand cheat sheet of four bills that we, The Texas Women Health Watch, feel are important to Texan women. The cheat sheet is in two parts. Here’s the first part and keep an eye out for the posting of the second part. Enjoy! <3 TK

:: The Cheat Sheet Part I::

H.B. No. 1133 – Maternal Mortality

Primary Author: Armando Walle. Walle is a member of the Democrat Party. He is a House of Representative for District 140, which includes Houston.

Summary: This bill would take effect September 1^st of 2011, and through Chapter 34 of the Health and Safety Code it would create a Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Board. Maternal morbidity is defined as a pregnancy-related health condition; it can happen during the pregnancy, labor, delivery, or within a year of giving birth. A severe maternal morbidity is defined as maternal morbidity that became life-threatening. The review board would be an advisory committee consisting of members from a variety of fields and backgrounds. The members of the board shall include:

• 4 obstetricians
• a midwife
• a registered nurse
• a family practice physician
• a mental health professional
• a pathologist
• either an epidemiologist, biostatistician, or researcher of pregnancy-related deaths
• a social worker or social service provider
• a community advocate
• a medical examiner or coroner
• a representative of the Department of State Health Services’ family and community health programs
• the state epidemiologist for the Department of State Health Services or the epidemiologist designee

In total, the review board shall consist of 15 members. The majority of the members shall be appointed by the Commissioner of State Health Services, and they will be chosen with an emphasis on racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity. The review board will meet at least four times a year. The review board will have two main duties:

• to study and review maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity
• to create recommendations for the prevention of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity

In order for the review board to fulfill their duties, they will develop standard procedures and criteria for their review and consult with other professionals, state professional associations, and institutions of higher education. During their identification and review of the maternal mortality and morbidity cases, the review board will obtain cases without the patient’s identifying information to ensure confidentiality. The review board and the Department of State Health services shall create a joint report over the review board’s findings. The joint report will also include the review board’s recommendations to help decrease the maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity rate in Texas. The joint report will be submitted to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, and appropriate legislative committees. In addition to the joint report, the review board may print research reports and statistical studies over maternal mortality and morbidity.

Potential Implications: Currently, there are some women who lack access to perinatal and intrapartum care services. The lack of resources may contribute to pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity. Ideally, the review board’s recommendations in their joint report will highlight the need for more available perinatal and intrapartum care services. The review board could potentially help standardize and perinatal and intrapartum care around the state.

Current Status: Referred to the House Public Health Committee (as of February 28^th)

For more information, click here.

H.B. No. 1255 – Women’s Health, Family Planning, and Human Sexuality

Primary Author: Mark Strama. Strama is a member of the Democrat Party. He is a House of Representative for District 50, which Austin.

Summary: This bill would take effect September 1^st of 2011 and would be authorized under Section 32.0248 of the Human Resources Code. The act would create a 7 year demonstration project through the medical assistance program for women’s health care services. If a woman is eligible, she may be a part of the demonstration project and therefore have access to health and family planning services. The commission shall try to boost participation in the demonstration project through education, outreach, and other methods. The demonstration project is meant to help reduce federal and state spending, lower STD rates, and decrease unintended pregnancy rates.

In addition to the demonstration project, each school district’s Board of Trustees will consult with the local school health advisory council on human sexuality instruction, otherwise known as sex education. The Board of Trustees will choose an evidence-based human sexuality curriculum. The course materials will cover human sexuality, STDs, HIV, and AIDs. In adherence to state law, the materials will heavily emphasis abstinence and waiting for marriage as the preferred method to prevent pregnancy or the contraction of diseases. However, the curriculum must include instruction on contraceptives and how to properly use condoms. It is up to the Board of Trustees’ discretion whether the program shall be abstinence-only or a more comprehensive sex education curriculum. At the beginning of each year, school districts shall send a written notice to parents about the school’s sex education program and what it shall entail. Parents shall have the right to review the curriculum materials and to remove their child from any part of the class without academic penalty.

Potential Implications: Ideally, this bill could help expand women’s access to preventive health and family planning services through the demonstration project. However, it is not clear what the eligibility requirements are for women to participate. Also, the method of outreach is unclear. While the demonstration project sounds beneficial to women with all of the available preventive health and family planning services, it needs effective marketing for the targeted population to even be aware of the project. Hopefully, the Public Health Committee adds clarifications to the bill to strengthen it and give it a real chance at the hearing.

Currently it is state law that sex education programs give a preference to abstinence as a contraceptive method. Therefore, the sex education component of the bill may simply perpetuate the use abstinence-only education, which has been indicated to be ineffective at reducing pregnancy rates. The goal of the bill is to reduce costs and unwanted pregnancies, but because of the state law that goal may be hard to reach. Hopefully, this bill may generate discussion on the state’s current sex education programs and whether it’s effective or not.

Current Status: Referred to the House Public Health Committee (as of March 1^st)

For more information, click here.