Black Maternal Health Equity Act 

In the state of Georgia, a heartbreaking and unacceptable reality persists. As a passionate advocate for maternal health and racial equality, I am compelled to raise my voice against the stark disparities in pregnancy-related outcomes that disproportionately affect Black women.

According to the 2025 March of Dimes Report Card, Georgia ranks 36th out of 48 states for pregnancy-related deaths. The statistics are even more harrowing for Black women, who face a maternal mortality rate of 58.3 per 100,000 live births. This makes Black women two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts.

Our demands to state lawmakers are as follows: 

1. -Mandatory Implicit Bias & Charting Reform: Required accredited implicit bias training for all OB/GYNs and nurses as a condition of state licensure renewal. Additionally, mandate administrative review for racially coded, dismissive charting (such as 'combative', 'non-compliant', or 'drug seeking') that results in delayed or denied emergency care. 
2. -C Section Mitigation & Clinical Audits: Establish mandatory state health department audits for hospitals exhibiting disproportionately high unscheduled C-section rates among Black patients, paired with independent clinical peer reviews for maternal mortality cases resulting from negligence. 
3. -Civil Accountability & Legal Remedies: Enact legislation that removes statutory barriers to justice in maternal mortality cases resulting from gross negligence or medical abandonment. This includes establishing a dedicated state legal access fund for impacted families to pursue wrongful death and malpractice litigation, alongside mandatory republic reporting of all civil judgements and administrative sanctions levied against maternal care providers. 
4. -Expanded Continuity of Care: Legally mandate state Medicaid reimbursement for full spectrum doula care, comprehensive prenatal support, and extended postpartum coverage up to 12 months, alongside universal access to certified lactation services. 
5. -Mandatory Extended Hospital Stay & Readmission Guarantees: Amend state insurance and hospital discharge mandates to guarantee patients the option of a minimum of 72-hour covered inpatient stay postpartum, alongside required, standardized 72-hour and 14-day clinical follow up evaluations to catch and treat delayed onset complications such as preeclampsia, hemorrhage, and infection before discharge. 
6. -Economic & Family Protection: Pass state-level statutory protections ensuring 12 weeks of paid parental leave to support postpartum recovery, mitigate physical stress, and lower long term mortality risks. 
7. -Perinatal Workforce Pipeline Grants: Establish state funded service-cancelable loans and grant programs for nursing, midwifery, and doula trainees who commit to practicing in designated maternal healthcare shortage areas and underserved communities for a minimum of 3 years. 

Sign this petition to demand urgent action and help save lives. Let us ensure that every maternal journey is safeguarded by compassion, respect, and equality.

        REFERENCES: 

Emory University-Rollins School of Public Health. (n.d.). Fighting the maternal mortality crisis. Emory University - Rollins School of Public Health. https://sph.emory.edu/magazine/2023/spring/fighting-maternal-mortality-crisis

March Of Dimes. (2025, September 29). 2025 state of the state for maternal and infant health in Georgia report published — Healthy mothers, healthy babies coalition of Georgia. Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia. https://www.hmhbga.org/news/2025-state-of-the-state-for-maternal-and-infant-health-in-georgia-report

WABE. (n.d.). Maternal Mortality In Georgia & The U.S. By The Numbers. https://www.wabe.org/maternal-mortality-in-georgia-by-the-numbers/