Propublic won on Monday the prestigious Pulitzer Award for Public Service for the Series “Mother’s life“Which Judges described As “urgent reports about pregnant women who died after the doctor delayed urgently, he needed care to violate the vague” life of the mother “exceptions in states with strict abortion laws.” The prize is awarded to the staff of a news organization who performed a “meritorious public service.” This is the second consecutive year that the organization received the distinction. It is the eighth Pulitzer for Propublic.
“The United States mental barrier“An examination of how insurance companies interfere with access to the necessary mental health care in the United States, was appointed finalist in the category of explanatory reports. In addition to Pulitzer’s winners, the designation is the 12th Propublic Pulitzer.
The “Life of the Mother” series, which Propublic continues to pursue, is a historical investigation on the non -examined and irreversible consequences of state abortion prohibitions. Kavitha Surana” Lizzie Presser and Cassandra Jaramillo Hospital and death records extracted in states whose strict prohibition of abortion threatened doctors with prosecution. Of the tragic death of Amber Thurman In Georgia a Destripation accounts either Women denied spontaneous abortion care that had saved life In Texas, research illuminated the deep human cost of these policies. Exposed the chilling impact on Medical professionals forced to choose between their oath and the lawHe Anguish faced by families and the Broader erosion of women’s health and autonomy.
The immersive photo trial of Stacy Kranitz, “The year after an abortion denied“He documented the unraveling of a family of Tennessee after an abortion denied by an elegant pregnancy for life, especially in a state with magero support for poor mothers. The piece, reported with Surana, helped the public see, feel and understand the Howe family.
These stories ignited indignation throughout the country, became the conversation points duration of the presidential elections and inspired action. Legislators They have presented more than an bill of boxes To expand access to abortion in at least seven states.
Last week, the Texas Senate approved unanimously The Senate Law 31, called the mother’s life law, which aims to prevent maternal deaths under the strict prohibition of state abortion by making it clear that a medical emergency that gives her life does not need to be imminent to follow her medical standard.
The representatives of the bill are a significant reversal for Republican leaders who for years insisted that no changes were needed. It was written by Senate Sen. Bryan Hughes, the author of the original prohibition that initially said that The exceptions for medical emergencies were “much clear. “The bill does not have the elimination of what doctors say that they are the greatest impediments to care, including its threat of great criminal sanctions for medical professionals, and it is not not the houses of Álvarad Fetal, who-maos. Bill, said that this is a” really hard pill for Swallow “, but that it could still make a difference.
An investigation of the United States Finance Committee, released in response to our reportspublished a 29 -page report in December 2024 that found that Hospitals provide a minimum orientation to doctors who navigate abortion restrictionsor leave them without clear protocols in life or death situations.
To Host of Propubicans Helped Elevate This Project, Including Alexandra Zayas, Ziva Branstetter, Andrea Wise, Tracy Weber, Boyzell Hosey, Mariam Elba, Robin Fields, Anna Donlan, Allen Tan, Kirsten Berg, Jeff Ernsthause, Doris Burke, Lexi Churchill, Andrea Suozzo, Audrey Dutton, Anna Maria Barry-committer, Amy Yurkanin, Emily Goldstein, Diego Sorbara, Samantha Cooney, Grace Palmieri, Colleen Barry, Kassie Navarro, Sarah Childrendress and Sophia Kovach.
Credit:
Sarahbeth Maney/Propublic
“We knew early that abortion prohibitions probably had mortal consequences for women, and not only for those abortions,” said Weber, Propublicic Managing editor for national personnel. “Our reporters and their editor, Alex Zayas, were Endlesly creative, stubborn, humans and careful when surfing the deaths of women of death when the states themselves were not looking.
In the series honest as Pulitzer finalist in explanatory reports, the reporters Annie Waldman, Duaa Eldeib, Max Blau and Maya Miller revealed how health insuranceators They are participating in aggressive tactics that push net therapists; displaying a Algorithmic system to limit coverage; Creating “Ghost networks“; Cut access to Treatment for children with autism; Trust Doctors whose judgments have been criticized by the courts; and use patients Progress to justify denials.
Journalists crocked thousands or advice; OBLINE INTERNAL COMPANY DOCUMENTS; He reviewed thousands of pages of phases of demands to identify doctors distributing denials; and included broken and intimate stories of patients for whom care was cut prematurely, which led to devastating congres.
In September 2024, the Biden Administration announced That had new final regulations to strengthen protections for mental health care coverage and hold insurance companies to illegal it. In December 2024, after several of the stories of Propublicics, the Sens. Chris Murphy, Tina Smith and Ben Ray Luján reintroduced the Parity Control Law to better hold insurance companies better by providing the United States Department of Labor of the United States with the authority to impose civil monetary sentences by the Violation Parity Law. The following month, The Labor Department found generalized breach and violations of the Federal Law In how health plans and insurers cover mental health care, the findings that reflected the propublicic research. The Alo Department investigates the supervision and management of doctors hired by insurers who repeatedly rejected mental health coverage for patients.
Steve Mills, Mara Shashoup, Charles Ornstein, Arian Wise, Barry, Cooney and Paige Plefer of WPLN/Nashville Public Radio contributed to the series. Some of the pieces were published in collaboration with NPR.
“People who need mental health care cannot obtain it. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, insured or without insurance, lack of access is widely felt,” said Ornstein, Propublicic Managing editor for local. “Many people in our staff wanted to be part of this project. Through the immersive narrative and the excavation of investigation, they documented with experts the causes of the crisis, those response and the regulators that have remained and done little to fix.”
Propublic received pulitzers by Public Service In 2024, National Reports In 2020, Writing functions In 2019, Public Service In 2017, Explanatory reports In 2016, National Reports in 2011 and Research reports In 2010. The partner of the local report network, Anchorage Daily News, won the Pulitzer for Public Service In 2020.
