Legislation to examine maternal deaths in Idaho advances

Legislation to determine why so many Idaho women die while pregnant or due to complications from childbirth in Idaho will get a hearing.

Lawmakers on the House Health and Welfare Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to hear the proposal put forward by the Idaho Medical Association that would create a panel to review maternal deaths.

Susie Pouliot of the Idaho Medical Association brought the proposal before the same committee on Monday but withdrew it amid lawmaker concerns that language in the introductory legislation ran afoul of clearly defined requirements and could cause it to fail if it made it to the full House.

The new proposal makes changes requested by the lawmakers who approved the hearing without comment.

Idaho’s maternal death rate is about 27 per 100,000 births, slightly higher than the national average.