NOW Observes Black Maternal Health Week

Black Maternal Health Week , held annually from April 11-17, is a campaign founded by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) to build awareness, activism, and community. It amplifies voices and lived experiences to advocate for the elimination of maternal mortality.

Here's BMMA's toolkit with the core messages of Black Maternal Health Week and this year's theme, "Rooted in Justice & Joy."

NOW members are using this week to recommit to the federal Momnibus Act - the comprehensive solution to America's maternal health crisis.

The Momnibus Act invests in the social determinants of maternal health that influence successful outcomes, like housing, transportation, and nutrition. It's a package of 14 individual bills that will protect mothers and save lives.

More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The solutions are within reach - it's only political will, along with economic, legal, and social barriers, that prevent lives from being saved.

More than 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in counties with no access to maternity care. Federal programs have been defunded and restricted, while more states have restricted doulas and midwives from providing needed care. Birth centers have also been targeted by increasingly harsh regulations.

NOW is working at the national level and in the states to address a crisis that has left the United States with the highest maternal mortality rate of any wealthy country.

In 2023, there were 18.6 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the U.S.- a rate that's almost twice that of countries with comparable economies. And it's nearly the same as the U.S. rate two decades ago.

While our country slides backwards, the rest of the world is moving forward. According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, maternal mortality rates dropped globally - on average, by 40% - between 2000 and 2023.

Women of color are disproportionately impacted by this crisis. Black and Indigenous women are far more likely to die giving birth than women of other races. For Black women, the maternal mortality rate in 2023 was 50.3-nearly 3.5 times the maternal mortality rate for white women (14.5). While overall maternal deaths dropped from 2022 to 2023, Black maternal deaths increased.

During Black Maternal Health Week, NOW joins the call to ensure that every mother is treated with dignity, respect, and the highest standard of care. We pledge to fight for a maternal health agenda that ensures healthy birth outcomes for all.