SisterSong and the Black Mamas Matter Alliance just sent a call to action to President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Schumer on behalf of Black mothers, Black perinatal workers, and Black families and communities across the country to urge them to include critical maternal health investments in the final reconciliation package.
Specifically, we are urging leaders to include both investments from the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 and postpartum Medicaid extension to one year in the final package.
Nationally, Black birthing people are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white birthing people. The investments that we are urging support for would cost a total of $3 billion – a fraction of the cost of the Build Back Better Act – and yet, they would have a disproportionately large and historic impact.
If Congress does not include these investments in the final reconciliation package, it will imply that our elected officials are unwilling to listen to and invest in Black women and birthing people, regardless of the urgency, regardless of the price tag, and regardless of the lifesaving benefits.
For too long, Black women and birthing people have been overlooked, neglected, and exploited in the policymaking process. We have faced voter suppression, community disinvestment, and state-sanctioned violence, all while fighting for the rights, respect, and resources we deserve. Now, it is Congress’s responsibility to take action and invest in Black maternal health, for the sake of advancing reproductive justice, birth justice, and human rights for all.
