Advocates pushed Michigan lawmakers to address racial differences in maternal healthcare this week. The activism is part of Black Maternal Health Week, celebrated in Michigan and around the country.
State numbers show Black women in the state die during childbirth more than 2.5 times as often as white women.
State Senator Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) said fixing that means dealing with the factors that are causing that problem.
“Black maternal health must be whole, person-centered, and holistic. It must include environmental and economic issues, and it requires removing the barriers to access and care and improving and cultivating meaningful policy actions that are actually useful,” Geiss said during a floor speech.
Geiss sponsors a bill package known as the "Momnibus" (in reference to so-called "omnibus" legislation that rolls many bills into one package). It would update state data tracking around racism in reproductive medicine, require many health insurance plans to cover midwife services, and bar discrimination based on pregnancy or lactating status.
The legislation has passed the Michigan Senate during both, the current and previous legislative session. But it has yet to see a floor vote in the state House of Representatives.
In 2024, during a Democratic majority, the bills died in the final days of the year. This time, the bills have been awaiting a committee hearing for about a year.
While in Lansing this week, a group called the Mothering Justice Action Fund pressed lawmakers to get it across the finish line. Mothering Justice Deputy Campaign Director Aisha Wells said she still believes the Momnibus can pass this year, despite the delay.
“I think that we can get a lot of moms, families, people who understand that mamas should not die if they’re having a baby. I think that’s simple enough for lawmakers to understand that we can pass that policy,” Wells said.
She said lawmakers not addressing the racial disparity means moms will continue dying from preventable causes.
In a written statement, House Health Policy Committee leadership said it supports measures to improve maternal and infant health in general, but did not say what the Momnibus bills’ future would be.
“As a father and grandfather, I'm passionate about ensuring every mother and baby has access to the safe, quality care they need," said Committee chair Rep. Curtis VanderWall (R-Ludington).
"The goal should be better outcomes and improved care for all families, and I'll work together with anyone who shares that goal. I've supported several policies to that end during my time in office. We should be committed to ever-improving maternal, pre-born, and newborn health for every Michigan mother and baby,” VanderWall said.
