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Statement

Even More U.S. Moms Are Dying During and After Childbirth. Congress Must Pass the Momnibus Act Now.

May 15, 2023
Maternal Mortality

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement of Monifa Bandele, Chief Strategy Officer of MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on the reintroduction of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act in both chambers of Congress today:

“It’s hard to imagine a crisis more urgent than our country’s maternal health crisis, which is getting worse – not better. It is shameful that the United States is the most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world, with Black, Indigenous, and Latina moms even more likely to lose their lives during and after childbirth than white women. The COVID-19 pandemic made a bad situation even worse, and now the state abortion bans and restrictions the U.S. Supreme allowed threaten even more harm to the health of women, moms, and pregnant people.

“Congress must act now, by passing the Black Maternal Health Momnibus – 13 evidence-based bills that address every driver of this crisis. The Momnibus Act would take urgently needed steps, including:

  • Providing more funds to strengthen federal maternal health programs;
  • Supporting diversification of the perinatal health workforce;
  • Extending WIC eligibility during the postpartum and breastfeeding periods;
  • Addressing social determinants of health;
  • Providing grants to improve maternal mental health;
  • Promoting maternal vaccinations;
  • Supporting anti-bias trainings for health care professionals; and
  • More.

“America’s moms want Congress to pass the entire package – not one or two of those bills, but all 13. 

“It is not lost on us that states with the most restrictive abortion access laws also have higher maternal death rates. So in this post-Roe era, we are fighting for safe childbirth and full access to abortion care. Data from the CDC show that maternal deaths in recent years have increased by a dramatic 40%. We need solutions to our maternal health crisis now. Lives are literally at stake.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.