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ProPublica was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer award for public service in the series “Life of the Mother” on Monday. The judge explained that it was “an emergency report of a pregnant woman who died urgently because of a urgent need for care because doctors were afraid of violating the vague “mother’s life” of a state with strict abortion laws.” The award is given to staff at news organizations that have provided “meritual public services.” This is the second year in a row that the organization has been awarded a distinction. This is Propublica’s 8th Pulitzer.
“American mental barriers” is a study of how insurance companies block access to mental health care needed across the US and was named a finalist in the Explanatory Report category. In addition to the Pulitzer winner, the designation is Propobrica’s 12th Pulitzer finalist for the first time in 17 years.
Propublica continues to pursue the Mother of the Mother series is a groundbreaking investigation into the unestablished, irreversible consequences of the ban on national abortion. Kavitha Surana, Lizzie Presser and Cassandra Jaramillo mined records of hospitals and deaths in the state where strict abortions threatened doctors in the prosecution. From the tragic death of Ambertherman in Georgia to the accounts of women who refused to provide miscarriage care that would save Texas life, the investigation illuminated the deep human costs of these policies. They exposed the horrific effects on health professionals who were forced to choose between their oath and law, exposing the distress faced by families, the broader erosion of women’s health and autonomy.
Mother’s Life
The American mental barriers
Stacey Kranitz’s immersive photo essay, “The Year After a Refusal,” documented the dismantling of a Tennessee family after refusal to a life-threatening pregnancy, particularly with slight support from poor mothers. Reported with Surana, this film helped viewers see, feel and understand how people at Power have an impact.
These stories sparked rage across the country, became a hot topic and took action during the presidential election. Lawmakers have introduced more than 12 bills to expand abortion access in at least seven states.
Last week, the Texas Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 31. It aims to prevent mothers from dying under the state’s strict abortion ban by making it clear that life-threatening medical emergencies are not imminent for doctors to follow medical standards and intervene to end the pregnancy.
The bill represents an important reversal for Republican leaders who have for years argued that no changes were needed. It was written by State Sen. Brian Hughes, author of the original ban. The bill will eliminate what doctors say is the biggest obstacle to care, such as the major criminal penalty threat to healthcare professionals, and will not expand abortion access to cases of fetal abnormalities, rape or incest. Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Democrat who co-authored the bill, said that the limitations are “really hard to swallow,” but that it can still make a difference. “I believe this bill will save lives,” she said.
An investigation by the US Senate Treasury Committee, launched in response to the report, published a 29-page report in December 2024. This found that hospitals provide minimal guidance to doctors navigating abortion restrictions.
Alexandra Zayas, Ziva Branstetter, Andrea Wise, Tracy Weber, Boyzel Hossey, Mariam Elba, Robin Fields, Anna Donlan, Allen Tan, Alexandra Zayas, Ziva Branstetter, Andrea Wise, Allen Elba, Kirsten Berg, Jeff Ernsausen, Doris Berke, Lexi Berke, Lexi Berke, Lexi Berke, Lexi Berke, Amy Jurkanin, Emily Goldstein, Diego Solbara, Samantha Cooney, Grace Palmieri, Colleen Barry, Cassie Navarro, Sarah Childress, Sofia Kobach.
“We knew early on that abortion bans were likely to have fatal consequences not only for those seeking an abortion, but also for women,” said Weber, managing editor for Propublica’s national staff. “Our reporter and its editor, Alex Zayas, were endlessly creative, dog humane and cautious in surface the deaths of these women when the state itself hadn’t seen. We are extremely honored that the Pulitzer Committee is aware of their efforts.”
In the series that was recognized as Pulitzer finalists in the explanatory report, reporters Annie Waldman, Duaa Eldave, Max Brow and Maya Miller revealed how health insurance companies are involved in offensive tactics that drive therapists out of the network. Deploy the algorithm system to limit coverage. Creating a “Ghost Network.” Reduce access to treatment for children with autism. It depends on doctors whose rulings are criticized by the courts. Use patient progress to justify rejection.
Reporters crowdsourced thousands of tips. I got an explosive internal company document. We reviewed thousands of pages of legal filings to identify doctors who would rule out denials. And it included crushing and intimate stories of patients whose care was prematurely blocked, leading to catastrophic consequences.
In September 2024, the Biden administration announced that it had tightened protections on the scope of mental health care and finalised new regulations to keep insurance companies after illegally denials. In December 2024, following several stories of PropoPublica, Chris Murphys, Tina Smith and Ben Ray Luhan of the United States reintroduced the Parity Enforcement Act to make insurers better liable by providing the U.S. Department of Labor with the authority to impose civil monetary fines for violations of the Mental Health Party Act. The following month, the Department of Labor discovered a widespread violation and violation of federal law regarding health plans and how insurance companies can cover mental health care. The department also began investigating the monitoring and management of physicians hired by insurance companies that repeatedly denied patients’ mental health coverage.
Steve Mills, Mara Shalhu, Charles Ornstein, Ariana Tobin, Zisiga Mukul, Tony Luon, Alex Bandoni, Agnel Phillip, Vanessa Saba, Chris Moran, Sengiz Yar, Isabel Jan, Lena Groeger, Zen, Weber, Berg, Berg, Werk, Palmersen, Wise, Barry, Cooney and Paige Pfleger from WPLN/Nashville Public Radio contributed to the series. Some of the works were released in collaboration with NPR.
“People who need mental health care often can’t get it. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, insured or uninsured. The lack of access is widely felt.” “Many people on our staff wanted to be part of this project. Through immersive storytelling and research excavation, they skillfully documented the cause of the crisis, the responsible person who hasn’t stood up to fix it, and rarely does it,” he said.
Propublica featured Pulitzer for Public Services in 2024, National Report in 2020, Public Services in 2019, Public Services in 2017, National Report in 2016, and 2010 Research Report.
