Republicans are not always associated with the fight to end maternal mortality, but on the eve of a GOP trifecta in Washington, maternal health advocates say they will need to find a way to get more conservative members on board with their agenda.
The U.S. has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the developed world — about 22 deaths per 100,000 live births (and nearly 50 deaths among Black women), according to data from the Commonwealth Fund. There are lots of reasons for this, according to experts, including economic stability, racial disparities in health care and postpartum treatment options. In the wake of the post-Roe reproductive landscape, restrictive abortion laws may mean patients have been less likely to seek emergency care or doctors have been less likely to give it out of fear of prosecution.
Getting Republican buy-in to tackle any of those underlying issues is a difficult task, to say the least. But Democratic Rep. Robin Kelly has high hopes that at least one piece of legislation could have wider bipartisan appeal. She said that in her conversations with Republican colleagues, they often bring up how to fund policy solutions, but they’re unified in their desire to find some.