John,

This week marks the fifth Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) campaign. Founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), BMHW is a week of awareness, activism, and community building.

Our work won’t be done until every person is free to decide if, when, and with whom to grow a family in safe, sustainable communities.

So to amplify the voices of Black women and their families, #VOTEPROCHOICE is joining forces with BMMA to center Black women’s scholarship, maternity care work, and advocacy across the full spectrum of sexual, maternal, and reproductive healthcare, services, programs, and initiatives.

Click here to take part in unforgettable activities and conversations aimed at shifting the state of Black Maternal Health in the U.S.

Here is why this week is critical to our work: maternal health is an important part of our vision for reproductive freedom and justice — research shows that states with higher numbers of abortion restrictions are the same states with poorer maternal health outcomes.

We know that states that enact restrictions on abortion access are not interested in supporting families — they’re interested in reproductive control, especially of Black women and other people of color.

Not to mention that states with more restrictive abortion policies also tend to have fewer supportive policies in place for parents and families.

Instead of funding birth equity work and expanding access to maternal healthcare, states continually push resources towards creating abortion restrictions.

These same restrictions on abortion coverage disproportionately harm Black women and birthing people and other people of color, and must be eliminated for equitable abortion access to become a reality.

Learn more about Black-led maternal health initiatives, and centering the values and traditions of the reproductive justice movement here.

Thank you for joining us,

#VOTEPROCHOICE