LANSING -- A new effort in the state Senate could raise Michigan’s maternal healthcare standards, with supporters emphasizing the struggles currently faced by Black women in the medical system.
The package of bills, dubbed the ‘momnibus’ by supporters, would require the state to collect data on racial disparities in childbirth mortality rates and pre- and post-natal medical care. The state would need to analyze the data and publish a study every three years on maternal health.
According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely than white women to die during pregnancy or birth, and over 80% of pregnancy related deaths are preventable.
“These deaths are avoidable,” said Sen. Mary Cavanagh, D-Redfield Twp. “And every life lost due to the inequities of our system is directly reflective of the desperate need for policy change.”
Advocates say that the health concerns of women of color are often downplayed by medical professionals, leading to mothers not receiving the care they need or would like to receive.
“Birth justice includes access to health care during the childbearing year that is holistic, humanistic, and culturally centered, and includes the right to choose whether or not to carry a pregnancy and to choose when, where, how, and with what provider to give birth,” said Leseliey Welch of Birth Detroit.
Some mothers said their experiences while giving birth were so negative that they’re avoiding another pregnancy to preserve their physical and mental health.
“What I experienced was not the experience that we should have when we go into deliver a baby,” said Tamika Jackson, an organizer with Mothering Justice. “And because of that I don’t even want to have another child. I have very big distrust in our medical industry. And I think that improvements that can be made through this package would help ensure better outcomes, especially for women who look like me.”
Supporters say that the push for the legislation goes beyond just maternal mortality rates.
The proposals would also require insurance coverage for midwife services and outlaw discrimination on the basis of pregnancy or breastfeeding status, as well as establish additional reporting mechanisms for possible malpractice.
“Survival is the least of what we should expect,” Welch said. “We should be creating the optimal birth experiences that we want for ourselves, our partners and spouses, our children and great grandchildren and all of our families. How we come into this world matters.”
Lawmakers will continue to hear testimony on the package in the coming months.