Air pollution and stress from wildfires is on the rise with specific harms for maternal health, but experiences from Oregon indicate that public health officials are not doing enough to reach pregnant people with vital health hazard information.
It’s crucial for state and federal governments to address the environmental harms to pregnancy that intersect with racism and unfairness in income, quality housing, and safe work.
Federal, state, and local governments should prioritize disproportionately affected communities and include thesegroups in planning how to reach the people who can most benefit from the information.
(Washington, DC) – Air pollution from wildfires is on the rise, but experiences from Oregon indicate that public health officials are not doing enough to provide education and resources to pregnant people. Human Rights Watch, an international human rights advocacy organization, and Nurturely, an organization that promotes equity in perinatal wellness, said today. Officials are not listening to the needs and experiences of pregnant people most at risk of exposure and enabling trusted community health workers to provide localized, actionable advice.
The 78-page report, “Reproductive Rights in the US Wildfire Crisis: Insights from Health Workers in Oregon State,” finds that the US government needs to do more to address the growing threat wildfires pose to maternal and newborn health, particularly in marginalized communities. The organizations documented the impacts of recent wildfires on maternal and newborn health in the state of Oregon, drawing on the experiences of community health workers and maternal health providers, among others.
“Pregnancy health and wellbeing is at risk in the US, with deep and painful unjust inequities between communities,” said Aver Yakubu, program director at Nurturely. “We’re living in the climate crisis now and it’s crucial for state and federal governments to address the effects of environmental harms on pregnancy that intersect with systemic racism factors, such as economic inequities that dictate whether someone can temporarily leave a smokey area or not, quality housing, and safe work environments.”
Wildfires, including increasingly common megafires, hazardous smoke, and extreme heat, have been on the rise in part because of drier, hotter conditions due to climate change. The recent trend of increasingly damaging fires in closer proximity to inhabited areas is predicted to continue: Oregon state health officials said in July that, in Oregon, levels of harmful “particulate matter, or PM2.5, from wildfire smoke are expected to double or triple by the end of the century.” PM2.5 is associated with worse maternal and newborn health in many studies.
Human Rights Watch and Nurturely interviewed more than 50 maternal health providers including doctors, doulas, midwives, and community health workers in Oregon – a state greatly affected by wildfires – as well as public health officials and scientists.
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Findings showed that trusted community-based health workers, including doulas and midwives, are important but under-supported in providing information and protective strategies. They found that some communities struggle to find and use public health information, like advice on when and how to use air filters on high-risk, low-air-quality wildfire smoke days. Pregnant people and other at-risk groups should be included in planning how to reach the groups who can most benefit from the information.
Wildfire exposure is associated with adverse birth outcomes such as preterm birth, a major cause of infant death in the US, that can also cause lifelong physical and mental health harm. Preterm birth rates have increased in recent years in the US and, like low birth weight and infant mortality rates, are twice as high for Black mothers, for example, than white mothers. Maternal and newborn health are threatened by the climate crisis in other ways too. For example, studies on exposure to extreme heat have found associations not only with preterm birth, but also still birthand maternal health complications. A recent study found wildfire exposure and extreme heat together could have a bigger harmful impact on pregnancy. Toxic chemicals in wildfire smoke have also been found, in other studies, to be associated with maternal health problems such as hypertension.
The groups said state and federal authorities should adopt a reproductive justice approach to providing support services. Pregnant people, including those on public health insurance like Medicaid, should have access to air filters and air conditioning units, and receive assistance leaving areas with low air quality as needed. Additionally, workplace safety rules for periods of high heat and smoke should be improved.
“Online advice about hazardous air pollution is more accessible and actionable to a middle-class person who speaks English or Spanish, is already concerned and knows where to look, and who can afford air filters and to stay at home on the worst days,” said Skye Wheeler, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The situation is very different for a pregnant person whose rental home leaks smoke, or who lives in a tent, or who must work in smoke and heat.”
The groups also found that maternal mental health was at risk in wildfire events, and that healthcare providers were also adversely impacted as they were left to figure out how to protect themselves and family as well as their patients. Wildfires also meant that pregnant people missed out on pre- or postnatal care and were sometimes not able to give birth where they wanted.
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Community-based doula care can provide global majority communities with culturally appropriate support and allyship for pregnant people, and is also associated with improved birth outcomes. Research by a group of maternal health organizations found that doulas are concerned about climate impacts, are already providing some information and advice to their clients, and want to be better resourced to be able to do more. US states are increasingly providing Medicaid coverage for doula care to improve the affordability of their services, but most still do not.
The US also needs to do more to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, including by beginning a fair and equitable phase-out of the fossil fuel industry, the groups said. The US is the world’s biggest oil and gas producer and accounts for the greatest share – more than one third – of all planned global oil and gas expansion through 2050.
“There is no way to adapt our way out from the health harm of wildfires without transitioning from the fossil fuel and petrochemical industry,” Yakubu said. “But pregnant people should be able to equitably access information about hazards from wildfire smoke, and what protections are available for them and the next generation.”
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
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“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
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On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
