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Opinion/Foye: Moms need more than cards and flowers

Jocelyn Foye
Opinion

Jocelyn Foye is the director of The Womxn Project. 

This Mother’s Day people will talk about greeting cards and gifts, but what moms really need are policies and programs that support their health, safety and well-being. No matter where they live, what they look like or how much money they have, all moms want the best for their families and they should have the resources and fair opportunities to thrive. 

The United States can do better and we finally have leaders who agree and are taking action. New policies coming from the Biden administration and Congress address historic inequities that have left millions of women and people of color behind. The landmark American Rescue Plan, a massive relief package for families recovering from the pandemic, directly addresses systemic racism by increasing Medicaid funding to confront Black maternal mortality rates. 

The United States has the worst maternal mortality rate among comparable developed nations. Black women in the US are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts. Black women are also more likely to be uninsured, to make low wages and to lack basic supports like paid family leave and affordable child care even though they are more likely to be raising children alone and be the main breadwinner of the family. 

Medicaid is critical for people of all ages in Rhode Island, particularly non-white Rhode Islanders and new mothers. The program covers 37 percent of all births in Rhode Island and provides everything from vitamins and ultrasounds to amniocentesis screenings and delivery services. 

But Medicaid coverage for pregnant women ends after 60 days, leaving many new mothers without the treatment and services they need. Over half of pregnancy-associated deaths happen in the first year after birth, a time when mothers need affordable access to care more than ever. Now, they may finally get it. 

The American Rescue Plan provides states with more funding to extend postpartum care to a full year. Rhode Island lawmakers are taking this opportunity to help new moms and expand maternal Medicaid coverage with H5929, which will likely be heard in the coming weeks.

Rhode Island legislators are also trying to provide more options for care by making doula services eligible for reimbursement through private insurance and Medicaid (H5929/S484). Doulas are trained to provide support for pregnant, laboring and postpartum people, which has been shown to improve childbirth outcomes and increase quality of care. 

These bills are an important start to addressing higher risks for Black women who are pregnant. But we can still do more. Access to safe, affordable abortion is also critical to promoting better maternal health and outcomes for the entire family. Landmark research shows that delaying or denying women abortion services has long-term health and economic consequences for families. 

Over half of women seeking abortions have already had at least one child or birth. They are best equipped to decide for themselves when and how to expand their families. Proactive measures like the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, which eliminates abortion coverage bans for people with Medicaid and state employees, support the health and well-being of Rhode Islanders by providing everyone with the options they need. 

We must ensure that when someone needs an abortion they can get safe care, when someone wants to add to their family they have the support and services to have a healthy pregnancy, and that we each have what we need to manage our health and care for our families. This is a gift we can give to moms this year that will not just help them, but build stronger, healthier communities.