Maternal health is a preventable American crisis. IT’S TIME TO VOTE LIKE IT.
MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE
18.5
per 100,000 live births
PRE-TERM BIRTH RATING
(MARCH OF DIMES)
MATERNITY CARE DESERT
0.1%
of women 15-44 living in a maternal health desert
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH
GRADE (MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH POLICY CENTER)
PAID FAMILY & MEDICAL LEAVE
Max: 16 weeks for pregnancy and bonding
EARLY VOTING DAY
vote by mail
State Level Maternal Health
Governors can take immediate steps to improve local maternal health before, during, and after birth.
BEFORE
Fix Prenatal Care
Cover Mom the Day She Walks In
Let clinics approve Medicaid on the spot.
Let Midwives Practice Independently, and Pay Them Fairly
About half of states still tie a nurse-midwife's ability to practice to a physician's sign-off. In counties with no obstetrician, that limits access to care. Fighting for fair pay for birth workers is part of fighting for maternal health.
DURING
Make All Births Safer
Pay Rural Units to Stay Open
A standby payment keeps a low-volume unit staffed.
Fund Readiness
Training, a stocked delivery cart, or an obstetrician on video can bridge some gaps for hospitals and patients.
AFTER
Support Families for 12 Months
Pass Paid Family and Medical Leave
Fourteen states and Washington, D.C. have paid leave policies that cover fathers, partners, and adoptive parents, creating whole-family support.
Pay for a Home Visit in the First 2 Weeks
A blood pressure check by day 10, a home visit by week two: "Rolling" postpartum care means more than one six-week postpartum visit.
Ask your Governor candidates: What have you already done, and what will you do next, to close these gaps? Progress looks different in every state, but every candidate should have an answer.
Federal Level Maternal Health
Learn about federal candidates and national issues they could address during their term.
Address Maternity Care Deserts
How would you ensure counties currently without obstetric care have the medical and birth resources they need?
For example: funding workforce incentives for underserved counties or supporting telehealth and mobile care for remote areas
Support Midwife and Doula Care
Where do you stand on training, reimbursement, and scope-of-practice reform for midwives and doulas?
For example: expanding Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement for doulas and midwives or supporting independent-practice reforms
Improve Research Funding
What would you fund to protect mothers at increased risk of a pregnancy-related death?
For example: increasing National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for maternal mortality research or supporting data collection on outcome disparities
Explore Root Causes
How would you address hospital closures, workforce shortages, and transportation gaps?
For example: supporting funding that keeps rural labor and delivery units open or investing in labor and delivery workforce pipelines
Ask your Congressional candidates: What have you already done, or what will you do, to close these gaps? Progress looks different for every issue but every candidate should have an answer.
