04/20/2026
You already know the U.S. maternal health crisisโ a public health emergency which disproportionately impacts Black peopleโis unjust and terrifying. But did you know some basic policy changes could help us reverse course? Here are the solutions our experts recommend:
๐ก ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ญ:๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ถ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ต
Midwifery care is proven to reduce the chances of death for both moms and infants during birth. So, access is particularly crucial for those living in rural areas far from hospitals and for Black people, who are three times more likely to die of a pregnancy-related cause than their white counterparts.
All U.S. states provide Medicaid coverage for midwifery, but an inconsistent, tangled web of regulations limit the kinds of choices people can make about how, where, and with whom they want to give birth.
๐ก ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ: ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ด๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ต
All pregnant people deserve maternal health care that respects their right to informed consent and refusal. Unfortunately, experiences with coercion, discrimination, and violations of bodily autonomy during labor and birth are far too common, especially among Black women.
Stronger legal protections are needed to prevent and address violations of reproductive autonomy. It should be clear to patients, health care providers, and the government that an individualโs informed decisions about their pregnancy and birth care must not be overridden.
๐ก ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ: ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ถ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ต
We all know medical care is way too expensive in the U.S. Most low-income folks who have health insurance have it through the government-funded Medicaid program.
But currently, only half of states in the country provide Medicaid coverage of doula servicesโnon-medical physical, emotional, and informational support during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum shown to improve birth outcomes. Medicaid coverage of midwifery care in birth centers and home settings is largely dependent on where you live. And while most states have voluntarily extended Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum to address complications that develop in the months following delivery, with the Trump administrationโs massive cuts to Medicaid looming, itโs more critical than ever that we protect this lifesaving coverage.
๐ก ๐ฆ๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ: ๐ฆ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐
Maternal Mortality Review Committees (MMRCs) are state-level committees that closely study the deaths of people who died during, or within a year of, their pregnancy.
MMRCs work to fully understand the circumstances surrounding each death, determine if the death was related to the pregnancy, and develop recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.
๐ก ๐ข๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ, ๐๐ผ๐ผ.
For example:
๐ Sustainable funding for Black-led, community-based organizations that deliver comprehensive services to new parents and young children
๐ Direct support for pregnant and postpartum people, including financial assistance, childcare, and resources like healthy food, clean water, infant formula, and diapers
๐ Health education, including comprehensive s*x ed, led by trusted, informed community orgs
The Center is proud to support our Black-led reproductive justice partners as they lead the charge in this critical fight, including the brilliant folks at the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, the founders of . Give them a follow now and support their work year round: https://blackmamasmatter.org/
