A week after New Jersey’s poor grades from the 2023 March of Dimes Report Card cast doubts on First Lady Tammy Murphy’s claims about her contributions to infant mortality and maternal health, a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that overdose deaths in pregnant and postpartum women more than tripled during the period her husband has been governor.
A new National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) study revealed a significant increase in overdose deaths among pregnant and postpartum women from early 2018 to late 2021, new doubts have arisen concerning Murphy’s boasts used to bolster her campaign for US Senate based on extravagant spending for a program intended to reduce maternal deaths.
The NIH study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, disclosed that overdose mortality more than tripled among women aged 35 to 44 during the study period, raising concerns about the barriers to addiction treatment for vulnerable populations.
“The stigma and punitive policies that burden pregnant women with substance use disorder increase overdose risk by making it harder to access life-saving treatment and resources,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The researchers emphasized the impact of stigma, punitive policies, discrimination, and limited socioeconomic resources, hindering pregnant individuals from accessing life-saving treatment and resources.
Tammy Murphy has been claiming to champion initiatives that address maternal health and infant mortality reduction, however, the recent NIH report raises questions about the effectiveness of such efforts, as overdose deaths among pregnant and postpartum women have surged.
NIDA Director Nora Volkow underscored the importance of reducing barriers and stigma surrounding addiction to enable pregnant individuals to seek evidence-based treatment and social support for the well-being of both the mother and child.
The study highlighted that a majority of pregnancy-associated overdose deaths occurred outside healthcare settings, even in areas with available healthcare resources.
The doubts surrounding the First Lady’s claims stem from the apparent dissonance between the reported increase in overdose deaths and the effectiveness of initiatives purportedly aimed at improving maternal health.
Murphy, 58, announced a 2024 run for the Senate seat of twice-indicted Democrat Bob Menendez but the programs she boasts about failed to head off the growing problem of overdoses among expectant mothers.
Murphy’s political exploitation of the state maternal health initiative as a key credential for her U.S. Senate campaign has drawn criticism from those who question the program’s effectiveness and the motivations behind its promotion.
Critics argue that the NIH findings question the impact of current policies and interventions on the ground.
The March of Dimes Report Card assigned New Jersey a “C+” grade for its preterm birth rate, despite lavish spending on “Nurture NJ” ads featuring Tammy Murphy, the initiative itself appears to have fallen short of achieving its intended outcomes.
A July report in the Bergen Record said, “Black and Native American maternity deaths rose 102%, followed by white women at 95%, Hispanics by 66% and Asians by 39%, confirming that New Jersey has had one of the country’s worst overall maternal mortality rates despite ranking high nationally in income level, education and health care.”
The new NIH study emphasized the need for future research to better understand and address disparities in addiction treatment for pregnant women, particularly in light of punitive policies that may deter them from seeking timely and quality care.
As the nation grapples with the persistent overdose crisis, the study concludes that pregnancy is a crucial time for interventions to reduce the risk of overdose.
The call to destigmatize and eliminate punitive policies for women with substance use disorders resonates with the urgent need to provide unfettered access to effective treatments and medical services to ensure the survival of both mothers and children.
As doubts emerge about the efficacy of current initiatives in the face of rising overdose deaths, further scrutiny is likely to be directed towards public figures, including First Lady Tammy Murphy, and their contributions to the pressing issues of maternal health and infant mortality.
“The wealthy former Republican has spent the last six years helping lead New Jersey, benefiting greatly from her profile with a fraction of the scrutiny her husband receives,” said Matt Friedman, a reporter who has been reporting on New Jersey politics since 2007, in a story about Tammy Murphy. “Now she’s using her perch to leverage the state’s unique and increasingly condemned political boss system that all-but elects candidates before voters have a say.”
“We all know about connections. If your mom or dad is a plumber and you have connections in the plumbing industry, you’re going to get a plumbing job,” said Uyen “Winn” Khuong, a refugee from Vietnam who immigrated to the US in 1980 and founded Action Together New Jersey. “But it shouldn’t happen in public service. That should be open to everybody. Everybody should have a fair shot at it. And New Jersey doesn’t give us a fair shot.”
“Maternal and infant health is a critical concern for society, and exploiting these issues for political gain disregards the well-being of mothers and their children,” said Lisa McCormick, the only New Jersey Democrat who challenged incumbent US Senator Bob Menendez in 2018. “Using these issues as mere pawns in a political game undermines the seriousness of the challenges they face and deprives them of the attention and resources they deserve.”
McCormick, a fierce opponent of corporate greed and political corruption, sounded an alarm last August over rising maternal death rates and shrinking access to obstetrician care during pregnancy and childbirth in response to another study from the March of Dimes that showed 36 percent of U.S. counties were designated as ‘maternity care deserts.’
While that was less of a problem in New Jersey than it is elsewhere, there is still a lack of transparency surrounding the initiative, particularly regarding its goals, strategies, and measurable outcomes.