Thread by @DLCC

Black women in the US suffer from a maternal mortality rate that’s 3 to 4 times higher than white women, & the pandemic has only widened the gap. Dems, spearheaded by Black women legislators, are working to address this public health crisis. A thread.
#BlackMaternalHealthWeek

Ohio Minority Leader @EmiliaSykesOH helped form the nation’s first state-level Black Maternal Health Caucus, which has introduced bills to address cultural competency training for medical professionals & provide Medicaid reimbursements for doula services.

@EmiliaSykesOH Kentucky’s only Black woman legislator @atticascott4ky introduced bills to review maternal deaths & remove taxes on baby products. She’s also fought back against bans on abortion care, which disproportionately harm poor Black women who face barriers to healthy pregnancies.

@EmiliaSykesOH @atticascott4ky Tennessee’s @RepLamar is also a vocal opponent of the GOP’s abortion bans, citing the widening effect it would have on maternal mortality rates among Black women, a tragedy her own family has experienced. She’s also pushed for legislation to empower doula services.

@EmiliaSykesOH @atticascott4ky @RepLamar Just last month, Illinois legislators @replilly78 & @SenMattieHunter passed legislation aimed at eliminating racial disparities in the state health care system. As Sen. Hunter said, “For Black lives to truly matter, their right to quality health care must (not) be inhibited.”

@EmiliaSykesOH @atticascott4ky @RepLamar @replilly78 @SenMattieHunter In Nevada, the first state to have a majority-women legislature, @Senatorspearman has successfully passed legislation to make birth control more accessible & address the maternal health crisis. “There’s no doubt that it would not have gotten done had women not held power.”

@EmiliaSykesOH @atticascott4ky @RepLamar @replilly78 @SenMattieHunter @Senatorspearman Right now, Colorado is working on a maternal health package, sponsored by @SenJanetBuckner, that includes a provision allowing new moms to remain on Medicaid instead of kicking them off after 60 days.

@EmiliaSykesOH @atticascott4ky @RepLamar @replilly78 @SenMattieHunter @Senatorspearman @SenJanetBuckner Electing more Black women into our state legislatures is a critical component to solving the maternal health crisis. We still have a ways to go towards achieving equal representation, but for the sake of our mothers, our children, & our communities, the work must continue.