Act Now to Address the Maternal Morbidity Crisis in Massachusetts

New data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shows that the severe maternal morbidity crisis in our state is only growing worse—and dramatically so for Black birthing people.

Over the last decade, severe maternal morbidity nearly doubled for all birthing people in Massachusetts, and more than doubled for Black birthing people.

Black birthing people in our state now face a severe maternal morbidity rate that is 2.5 times higher than that of white birthing people.

Massachusetts must take immediate action to reverse these devastating trends.

Contact your legislators today and urge them to pass the Massachusetts Momnibus package now.

This legislation from Senator Liz Miranda will better integrate midwifery care into our maternal health care system, improve access to out-of-hospital birthing options, and reduce financial and administrative barriers to the creation of free-standing birth centers—all of which are proven to improve maternal health outcomes, especially for Black birthing people.

We can and we must end the maternal morbidity crisis.

Thank you for taking action today!

? Take future action with a single click.
Log in or Sign up for FastAction

Contact Information

First Name Last Name

Street Address

Postal Code City State

Email Home Phone (Optional)

Yes, sign me up for email updates.

Remember me so that I can use FastAction next time.

(Optional)

Act now to address the maternal morbidity crisis

Dear [elected official],

Personalize your message

New data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) shows that the severe maternal morbidity crisis in our state is growing worse—and dramatically so for Black birthing people.

Severe maternal morbidity is when a birthing person faces unexpected complications of labor and delivery that result in significant consequences to their health. This could be anything from life-threatening conditions like heart attacks, acute kidney failure, eclampsia, and sepsis to situations that require life-saving procedures to manage serious conditions.

The new DPH data includes startling takeaways:

1. Severe maternal morbidity for all birthing people nearly doubled from 2011 to 2020. Maternal morbidity rates went from 52.3 per 10,000 deliveries in 2011 to 100.4 per 10,000 in 2020—an average increase of 8.9% per year.

2. Severe maternal morbidity for Black birthing people increased by more than 100% from 2011 to 2020, an average of 10.1% per year.  Severe maternal morbidity for Black people increased from 94.8 per 10,000 deliveries in 2011 to 191 per 10,000 deliveries in 2020.

3. In 2020, the severe maternal morbidity rate for Black birthing people was 2.5 times higher than that of white birthing people—a rate that is getting worse, not better.

The Legislature has acted time and again to protect and expand access to reproductive health care in the Commonwealth. There’s more we can and must do to protect each and every Bay Stater’s reproductive decisions and futures. I urge you to support Senator Liz Miranda’s An Act Relative to Birthing Justice in the Commonwealth (S.1415).

This legislation will better integrate midwifery care into our maternal health care system, improve access to out-of-hospital birthing options, and reduce financial and administrative barriers to the creation of free-standing birth centers—all of which are proven to improve maternal health outcomes, especially for Black birthing people. It would also ensure MassHealth covers doula services as well as postpartum depression screenings for new moms during pediatrician visits in the first year of their child’s birth, eliminate insurance cost sharing for the full spectrum of pregnancy care, and expand the availability of and coverage for postpartum home visiting programs across the state.

Thank you for your steadfast commitment to protecting reproductive freedom. To further enhance reproductive freedom, equity, and justice in the Commonwealth, I urge you to support S.1415, An Act relative to birthing justice in the Commonwealth, a critical framework for a Momnibus package for Massachusetts.

Sincerely, [Your information here]