Dear Team,

Today marks the first day of Black Maternal Health Week in the United States, a national week of action to raise awareness around Black Maternal Health in the country. The Center for Reproductive Rights proudly joins the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA)—a national network of maternal health, human rights, and reproductive justice leaders—to amplify issues critical to Black birthing people.

Founded by BMMA six years ago, Black Maternal Health Week is a week of awareness, activism, and community building aimed at amplifying the voices of Black Mamas, bringing visibility to Black-led maternal health initiatives, and centering the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements.

The Black Maternal Health Week theme this year is Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy. This theme speaks to Black Mamas' strength, power and resilience, and the unassailable right to live freely, safely, and joyfully.

Recent data has shown an alarming rise of maternal deaths in the U.S. which has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the relentless attacks against reproductive rights and bodily autonomy in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The U.S. maternal health crisis disproportionately impacts Black mothers—Black women are nearly 3 times more likely to have a maternal death than white women. The work of eliminating inequities and human rights abuses in the field of maternal health belongs to everyone.

In February, the Center was proud to be a sponsor of Georgia Community Midwife Day where more than 100 community members, midwives, and lawmakers got together to demand expanded licensure for midwives in the state. Georgia has some of the most restrictive midwifery laws in the nation despite having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation and some of the most severe maternity care deserts. Black midwifery care and full spectrum Black-led doula services are practices and evidence-based solutions that incorporate the true needs, wants and desires of Black women and birthing people.

The Center is working towards ensuring access to community-based doula services; expanding midwifery licensure, regardless of training pathway; and extending Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum in ALL states. Our Maternal Health & Rights Initiative promotes the human rights of pregnant, birthing, and postpartum people in the United States.

Together, with our partners, we will continue working towards a future where Black birthing people have access to the reproductive health care they need to thrive.

In solidarity,

Breana Lipscomb
Senior Advisor, Maternal Health & Rights