California governor signs law to reduce deaths among African American mothers News
© WikiMedia (Office of the Governor of California)
California governor signs law to reduce deaths among African American mothers

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law Monday aimed at addressing the discrepancy between deaths among Black mothers and women of other races.

The new law, coined the “Momnibus bill” as a combination of the word “mom” with the legislative term “omnibus,” contains a slew of new provisions aimed at reducing this disparity. Among other things, the bill will create a new committee within the Department of Public Health to more closely review maternal deaths in the state through interviews of family members and doctors. It will also give lower-income women health insurance for up to one year post-pregnancy, rather than the traditional timeframe of two months.

Another interesting aspect of the law will be the addition of payment for doulas. Doulas are trained professional companions, which help to support mothers before, during, and after childbirth. California’s state Medicaid program, a government-funded health insurance plan for poverty-stricken individuals, will cover this payment.

On top of the payment for doulas, the state is increasing spending for more need-based, taxpayer-funded programs. California is spending $35 million to help set up programs which will give low-income pregnant women monthly cash payments with no spending restrictions, a guaranteed income plan that is the first of kind in the United States. 

The governor’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, joined the virtual bill-signing ceremony. She lamented the higher death rate among Black women and their children, saying: “These are preventable deaths, but these deaths and racial gaps in mortality rates didn’t happen in a vacuum. They are the legacy, as we all know, of systemic racism and inequality . . . We as a state have a moral imperative to root out these problems from the ground up.”

Earlier this year, California experienced policy changes regarding statistical data showing that Black women in the state are more likely to die within a year of pregnancy than women of other races. According to the California Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (CA-PMSS), Black women were six times more likely to die within a year of pregnancy than white women from 2014-2016, and had a higher death rate than Black women nationally from 2014-2017.

Advocates of the new bill are optimistic that these new changes will kickstart a national movement. Illinois enacted a similar bill earlier this year, while a federal “Momnibus bill” is currently pending before Congress.

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