Ziva Branstetter
I edit national investigations focused on reproductive rights, federal health care policy and other topics.
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What I Do
I’m a senior editor at ProPublica, working with reporters covering reproductive rights, health care and other topics.
My Background
I spent more than two decades as a reporter and editor in Oklahoma, including founding The Frontier, a startup newsroom in Tulsa. I also worked as an editor at Reveal and as corporate accountability editor at The Washington Post before joining ProPublica in March 2022.
Investigations I’ve edited and supervised during my career have won national awards including three George Polk Awards, two Scripps Howard awards and two Overseas Press Club awards. In 2015, I was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for a project I led and co-reported about Oklahoma’s flawed death penalty process.
The CDC Hasn’t Asked States to Track Deaths Linked to Abortion Bans
The Biden administration hasn’t delivered on its goals of measuring the public health impact of abortion bans. Experts say it’s a missed opportunity to study how the laws may lead to deaths and long-term injuries.
Texas GOP Lawmakers Propose Amending Abortion Ban Linked to Deaths and a Rise in Sepsis Cases
The bill comes after ProPublica’s reporting on the deaths of three Texas women. It specifies that doctors don’t need to wait until an emergency is “imminent” to terminate pregnancies but leaves in steep penalties for those who violate the law.
A Defense Department Directive to Expand Access to Military Courts Falls Short of Federal Law’s Requirements
The guidance comes more than two years after ProPublica sued the Navy over its failure to provide court records. Legal experts say it doesn’t go far enough to increase transparency in military courts.
Lawmakers in at Least Seven States Seek Expanded Abortion Access
Some of the bills were filed in direct response to ProPublica’s reporting on the fatal consequences of abortion bans.
Report: Hospitals Rarely Advise Doctors on How to Treat Patients Under Abortion Bans
Doctors described hospital lawyers who “refused to meet” with them for months, were hard to reach during “life or death” situations and offered little help beyond “regurgitating” the law, according to a Senate Finance Committee report.
Are Abortion Bans Across America Causing Deaths? The States That Passed Them Are Doing Little to Find Out.
The same political leaders who enacted abortion bans oversee the state committees that review maternal deaths. These committees haven’t tracked the laws’ impacts, and most haven’t finished examining cases from the year the bans went into effect.
Georgia Dismissed All Members of Maternal Mortality Committee After ProPublica Obtained Internal Details of Two Deaths
In a letter, the state’s public health commissioner said the action was taken because “confidential information provided to the Maternal Mortality Review Committee was inappropriately shared with outside individuals.”
Texas Lawmakers Push for New Exceptions to State’s Strict Abortion Ban After the Deaths of Two Women
The new legislation, prompted by ProPublica’s reporting, comes after 111 Texas doctors signed a public letter urging that the ban be changed because it “does not allow us as medical professionals to do our jobs.”
Georgia Judge Lifts Six-Week Abortion Ban After Deaths of Two Women Who Couldn’t Access Care
Abortion clinics rushed to provide care after a judge rejected the state’s ban, an order that could soon be paused by a higher court. It’s only the latest development since ProPublica reported the deaths of Amber Nicole Thurman and Candi Miller.
Did a Georgia Hospital Break Federal Law When It Failed to Save Amber Thurman? A Senate Committee Chair Wants Answers.
Thurman died after waiting 20 hours for emergency care under the state’s abortion ban. Sen. Ron Wyden demanded records his committee could review to determine whether the hospital violated the law. “It’s not even a question,” one expert said.
How Do Abortion Pills Work? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
The FDA says abortion pills are safe if taken as directed. Here’s what patients should expect.