Health

Advocates Hope New Illinois Law Helps Lower Maternal Mortality Rate for Black Women

Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the U.S. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are two-and-a-half times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women. 

A new state law aims to remedy that by expanding insurance coverage during and after pregnancy. 

Last Monday, Gov. J.B. Prtizker signed the Birth Equity Act that will require Illinois-based health insurance to cover abortion care without co-pays and deductibles, including coverage of abortion medications. And it will cover services such as doulas, lactation consultants and midwives.

“This bill was about equity. It was about saving lives and righting the wrongs of history of the high numbers of African American who were dying at the table, or their babies were dying, or families choosing who to live during a moment you should feel safe,” said state Sen. Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago). 

In addition to providing coverage during pregnancy, this bill also focuses on supporting further medical issues parents might face after pregnancy. 

“I care for a lot of individuals who do not have support or do not have a good family to support them when they’re in their postpartum period,” said Karie E. Stewart, CEO and founder of Melanated Midwives. “We know that most of those near death experiences or death experiences occur for Black and Brown moms in that postpartum period, which essentially is usually the first six months.” 

The bill has a large focus on providing pregnant patients with options to choose a birthing method that is most suitable for them. Midwives and doulas approach maternal health differently from standard medical physicians. 

“We’ve over-medicalized pregnancy. Midwives are trained to know what physiological birth looks like. That means birth without medications and interventions,” said Jeanine Valrie Logan, founder and lead steward of the Chicago South Side Birth Center. “Midwives, we can really mitigate a lot of these outcomes.” 

They spend a lot of time doing education and prevention education, which is a vital component to pregnancy. Additionally, midwives and doulas have the time to form solid relationships with their clients during their pregnancy. 

“They’re intentionally included in some of the decision making processes,” said Stewart. “And they have autonomy about various topics and things, but are also educated about higher risk situations or complications or risk in a manner that doesn’t necessarily feel so scary or overwhelming, and that’s just what midwives do.”

With this birth equity bill pregnant patients have the option to seek out providers that look like them because the current representation of Black healthcare providers is low. 

“Right now, I know about ten certified professional midwife students, and they’re all Black,” said Valrie Logan. “Without them being recognized in the state, without them having the opportunity to be reimbursed for the care that they're providing to people, means that they don't have a career and people don't have access to them in community.”

Valrie Logan also helped draft other legislation that expanded birth centers in the state. The additional birthing centers and the expansion of insurance coverage are just the first steps to improving maternal health care and health care in general in the Black community, she says. 

“We still have more work to do,” said Collins. “Whenever it comes to Black women, whether it’s maternal healthcare or healthcare in general, there’s always more work to do because there’s a lot to rewrite.”

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