New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently signed a series of legislation focused around securing maternal health in the boroughs.
In a press conference held yesterday, Adams was joined by members of the NYC Department Health in signing a total of seven new bills ensuring that the health of mothers in New York was protected.
The new bills will focus mainly on providing every community with easy access to maternal health and providing them with education about the topic.
Along with developing education programs on maternal mortality and care after giving birth, the recent legislation will have the Department of Health provide more public data on the rate of maternal mortality and recommended ways to reduce it; the rates of cesarean sections and health issues, such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, will also be made available.
More support will also be given to the Department of Health for their initiative on training doulas and having them provide their services to communities throughout the five boroughs. An education campaign on increasing awareness about the benefits of midwives and doulas will also be funded.
“The horrifying lived experiences that have endangered too many lives are finally being acknowledged with concrete policy actions, and the enactment of these laws is a major step forward for our city,” said Council Speaker Adrienne Adams per the press release. “This progress would not have been possible without the leadership of women in the council, and it shows the impact on policy when women are accurately represented in lawmaking.”
In recent years, discussions about maternal health have revolved mostly on the increasing mortality rates amongst BIPOC mothers. Black mothers in particular have recorded some of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths; according to the latest report by the Center for Disease Control, they’re about three times more likely to pass away from a problem during their pregnancy when compared to white women. Overall, the rate totals about 55.3 deaths for every 100,000 live births amongst Black women in the U.S.
The highest increase in maternal mortality rates amongst Black women occurred between 2019 and 2020 when it increased by 26%; during the same time, the maternal mortality rate for white women increased by a significantly less amount at 7%, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Disparities contribute to these higher rates as implicit bias and insurance issues are documented as existing in the medical world. In a 2019 study by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, the researchers found that Black mothers struggle particularly after caesarian sections when it came to pain management; according to the study, when compared to white women, their pain was not managed as well by health officials despite recording higher rates of severe pain.
“As a woman, a daughter, a mother, and a member of the first majority women council, it is an honor as we officially establish a law that will save the lives of Black women across the city,” said Councilmember Althea Stevens per the press release. “We will continue to stand as a united front, as this law is just a message to let the country know that we are just getting started.”
