In 2019, less than a year after I was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, I suffered a devastating pregnancy loss. I lost my child at full term due to a complication that went undiagnosed. Not only did I lose my child, but I almost lost my life. After years of advocating for legislative reforms around Black maternal health, I became more than just an advocate. I became a survivor.

Now, I fight for myself, my family and every Black woman who has been discounted by medical professionals. While Black Maternal Health Week may have just recently ended, we cannot let this conversation fade away until next year. Simply dedicating a week to Black maternal health is not enough — we need action, and that starts with better policy.

Here’s why: In Tennessee, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than white women. This is a complete injustice, and it doesn’t just happen here in our state — the U.S. as a whole has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed country. It is also the only developed country to see maternal mortality rates rising. This is in part due to the obstacles that many Black and Hispanic women face during pregnancy, including lack of access to care, health insurance coverage and food insecurity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the inequalities, which are needlessly stealing the lives of Black mothers and children, both in my home state of Tennessee and across the nation. CDC data shows that the maternal mortality rate for Black women has increased 26% since the pandemic began. With the COVID and maternal health crises converging, Black pregnant people are especially at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 — including illness that results in ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and death.

It’s clear: we can’t wait any longer to act. Our communities deserve the right to health, and that starts with our policies. Earlier this year, I introduced SB2150 (also known as TennCare) which directs state officials in Tennessee to study doula certification programs and make policy recommendations with the goal of improving health outcomes for mothers and babies. It passed unanimously in the Senate, which is a testament to the fact that when we work together, we can be creative in finding solutions to help mothers protect themselves and their babies — particularly in vulnerable communities.

There have been admirable efforts by legislators to advance birth equity in the U.S., such as the introduction of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, a package of 12 bills intended to build on existing legislation to comprehensively address all aspects of the maternal health crisis in America. However, only one of the bills has become law, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act, which is also the only bill in the package that received bipartisan support. The bill requires the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to provide community maternity care providers with training and support with respect to the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum veterans.

There are several other solutions we must put into place to ensure all of us have the best access to health care. Implicit bias training for health care providers is one of them — something Vice President Harris recently pointed to as a key intervention.

Additionally, we need federal funding for maternal health to extend far beyond childbirth itself. We know that one-third of pregnancy-related deaths occur between one week and one year postpartum, yet Medicaid currently provides coverage up to 60 days postpartum, with the temporary option for states to extend coverage to a year. Closing this coverage gap would make a huge difference for our communities.

We must continue to speak out, and urge local and state officials to put the right policies into place to make childbirth safer for all. As one of the few women of childbearing age in the Tennessee Senate, I feel a deep responsibility to advocate for issues around maternal health, because I have witnessed firsthand the devastation that a lack of proper care can lead to. The time is now to invest in the movement for racial and birth justice.

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Senator London Lamar currently serves as the State Senator for District 33, the youngest female legislator in the current 112th Tennessee General Assembly.

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Senator London Lamar

Writing since April 2022 · 1 story contributed