HARTFORD, Conn. — To kick off Black Maternal Health Week, lawmakers and advocates gathered at the state Capitol Tuesday, calling for more awareness, discussion and policy to protect mothers of color.
“This isn’t just a week,” said Hafeeza Turé host of the Labors of Love podcast. “This is 365, this is our lives.”
The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is climbing. The CDC reported more than 1,200 women died in 2021 during or shortly after pregnancy. That’s the highest maternal death rate in nearly 60 years.
“This is based on the messed up system of health care in our country,” state Sen. Saud Anwar, (D-South Windsor) said Tuesday.
Maternal mortality disproportionately impacts people of color. Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
“This whole challenge that we have bypasses your economic status, your educational status and every status that you can imagine,” said Anwar. “Race is not a biologic risk factor.”
Experts say while multiple factors fuel this racial gap, the main issue is education.
“We’re not believed in these spaces, so believe us,” said state Rep. Treneé McGee, (D-West Haven). “In order to advocate for us, or even legislate on our behalf, you have to talk to us.”
Lawmakers hope to further this conversation, gathering with mothers and advocates to share their stories of pregnancy and childbirth Tuesday.
“My birthing process definitely did not go as planned,” explained Whitney Anderson, an advocate and mother. “Immediately, went into panic. I spent 12 days in the hospital, trying to recover from the emergency C-section.”
Lawmakers vow to pass legislation this session to allow Connecticut to license and open birth centers as an alternative to traditional hospital-based labor and delivery units.
“The fact that we’re talking about infant mortality and maternal mortality in 2023 in a country that was built on the backs of black people–we know what we need to do. The time is now,” continued state Rep. Robyn Porter, (D-New Haven).
This legislation already passed out of committee last month, with what lawmakers call “overwhelming support.”
The measure will now go to a vote on the Senate floor.
Emma Wulfhorst is a political reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at ewulfhorst@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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