Taryn Graves is a policy assistant at the Society of Reproductive Health Physicians. This is her story.
My journey toward a career in reproductive justice began with my mother’s difficult pregnancy and my experiences as a Black woman navigating the U.S. healthcare system. I was born prematurely and spent the first five months of my life in the hospital.
I arrived two months early with a hiatal hernia, a condition that pushes part of my stomach into my chest cavity. Recalling her pregnancy, her mother describes her life as doctors ignored her needs, minimized her anxiety, and her postpartum recovery was made worse by a difficult period. He says it was a traumatic time for him.
Unfortunately, these stories are all too common. Many individuals and their families experience prenatal and postnatal challenges within the healthcare system. These experiences are even more troubling because structural racism systematically denies Black women the care they need.
My mother’s story solidified my resolve to advocate for expanded access to maternal health care and understand how policy can address our country’s escalating maternal mortality crisis. While attending college in Tennessee, I learned about the severity of the state’s maternal and child health crisis, especially for Black families.
Another view: Abortion is currently illegal in Tennessee, but the state ban was decades in the making.
Lack of access to preventive health and care exacerbates maternal mortality crisis
While maternal health is an issue that affects everyone, racial inequities disproportionately impact Black women, those who are giving birth, and people of color who can become pregnant.
According to the CDC, in 2021, the Maternal mortality rate for black women was three times more likely than for white women. It is essential to recognize that maternal mortality rates are influenced by several factors, including laws that prohibit or severely restrict access to abortion. Twenty-two states, including Tennessee, have passed restrictive anti-abortion laws, exacerbating the risk of pregnancy-related death.
Women in states with the strictest abortion laws are more than 3 times more likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth is a statistic that particularly affects Black women and their families. 7 out of 10 black women Live in a state that prohibits or restricts reproductive health services.
Lack of access to sexual and reproductive care puts people at higher risk throughout pregnancy. Multiple barriers to care exist, including accessing health care providers, obtaining insurance, and obtaining time off to attend appointments. Socioeconomic status, educational background, and geographic location further exacerbate these barriers according to the Research by the Gender Equality Policy Research Institute. States that restrict access to reproductive health services, such as abortion, show worse maternal health outcomes.
more: Abortion ban means Tennessee women lose bodily independence
The Care for Moms Act is an amendment that would expand services such as prenatal and postnatal care.
Tennessee represents this trend with a complete abortion ban. Maternal mortality rate in the United States (62.4 deaths per 100,000 live births).
In Tennessee, black mothers have a 45% higher rate of preterm birth than other women. A shortage of medical providers and neglect of maternal health care in rural areas are contributing to the worsening situation. Research from the March of Dimes, reports rising maternal mortality rates and care deserts worsened in 2022, with 17% of residents reporting receiving inadequate prenatal care, higher than the national average.
Addressing this crisis requires laws that protect parents, babies, and reproductive health care services. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill. submitted, How to Care for Mothers, to the U.S. House of Representatives. It proposes measures to address America’s maternal mortality crisis. This bill would improve access to prenatal and postnatal care, diversify doula networks, expand Medicaid and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) coverage, attack implicit bias and racism within the health care system, and increase requests for the provision of maternal health services.
Now is the time to pass this bill. Passage of the Care for Moms Act will remove barriers that prevent pregnant people from getting the care they need and ensure everyone has access to the care and resources they need to live their lives with dignity and autonomy.
Taryn Graves is the next policy assistant reproductive health doctor who focuses on tracking state and federal policies regarding reproductive and maternal health.
