Dear Friend,
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” —Audre Lorde
As we celebrate Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week this week, our nation can no longer ignore that the maternal mental health crisis in the United States is being worsened by the attacks on our reproductive freedoms. Because we do not live single-issue lives, women's health issues are intertwined.
Click here to urge Congress to address maternal mental health AND our dwindling reproductive rights!
On multiple fronts, women are fighting efforts that give authority over our bodies, particularly our reproductive health, to politicians and judges. This current state of affairs is worsening the mental health of women, mothers, and birthing people.
If you’re wondering how maternal mental health and access to reproductive health services, including abortion, are interconnected, then I will make it plain and simple: Most people who get an abortion (6 out of 10, in fact) have already given birth.[1] Since the fall of Roe v. Wade, the majority of states have implemented increasingly restrictive bans on abortion making it nearly impossible to get an abortion, even when the life of the mother is at risk.[2] And recent data shows that these bans also have a significantly negative impact on mental health—there has been an increase in depression and anxiety symptoms in states where abortion bans are in place. [3]
Demand that our leaders ensure all moms have access to the range of health care they need, including the mental health services and reproductive care.
Moms in the south, the region with the most restrictive abortion laws, are amongst those most at risk of dying in childbirth, with Black and Indigenous women bearing the greatest brunt of the crisis. It is unfathomable that while the United States is the most dangerous high-income country for childbirth, particularly for Black women, it is essentially obligating women to continue pregnancies by banning abortions. [4]
While we must advocate for greater maternal mental health resources and push for an end to the maternal mortality crisis; it is clear that we must also fight to restore and expand reproductive freedoms for women, moms, and birthing people.
Because we don’t live single-issue lives, our health care and bodily autonomy, or the lack thereof, undoubtedly continue to impact our mental health.
Urge Congress to fight for us as whole human beings deserving of bodily autonomy and health.
The more of us who take action, the faster we’ll be able to make the changes we seek. So after you sign on, please take a moment to share the action link on social media and with friends.
Together we can, and must, do better for moms, babies, families and our communities.
--Gina, Diarra, Tina, Monifa, Kristin and the whole MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team
P.S. Did you recently give birth? Please share your postpartum experience with us!
References:
[1] Key Facts on Abortion in the United States
[2] Interactive Map: US Abortion Policies & Access After Roe
[3] Abortion Bans' Impact on Mental Health
[4] Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality
