Commentary

Giving birth safely is a human right. Out lawmaker Park Cannon is fighting tooth & nail for it.

"Black women legislators are... bring[ing] real change to communities in need," Cannon writes as she outlines why the GOP is failing to solve this crisis.
Commentary by Park Cannon
Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon (D)
Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon (D) Photo: Campaign Photo

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting some of the many incredible LGBTQ+ women of both the past and present, women who overcame unimaginable obstacles to change the world.

Georgia is one of the most dangerous states for someone to give birth. 

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There is always something we can do.

Ranking among the worst for maternal mortality in the nation, Georgia lacks the necessary policies, funding, and healthcare access that could save thousands of lives. Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, caused by discriminatory policies that ignore the evidence-based strategies long known to improve outcomes. 

Once again, Black women legislators are cutting through the twisted lines to bring real change to communities in need. To do so, we must defend against the GOP’s warped ways of addressing this problem. 

Georgia’s Maternal Mortality Crisis

The Georgia House Democratic Caucus (of which I am secretary) recently released a report that found the maternal death rate increased by 1.2 deaths per 1,000 residents in 2021. As is the case with maternal mortality nationwide, Black women are the most common victims in the state, being 3.3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions than other demographics.

Between 2018 and 2020, there were 30.2 pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births. 

What’s more, 89% of these deaths could have been prevented. 

89%. 

The most devastating part of all is that we already know how to solve this problem. But the leadership in Georgia’s Republican-dominated government won’t listen. While the GOP has expressed concern about maternal mortality, the party’s approach is not aligned with the comprehensive and evidence-based strategies needed to tackle this multifaceted issue. It is crucial for policymakers and constituents, regardless of political affiliation, to prioritize holistic well-being and work collaboratively towards solutions that address the root causes of maternal mortality while ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all.

Where the GOP Fails

The GOP offers limited acknowledgment of the systemic issues at play in this crisis. While the party has acknowledged the importance of addressing maternal mortality, its approach denies the interconnectivity of access to healthcare, socioeconomic factors, and racial inequalities that significantly contribute to maternal mortality rates. A 2023 report from the Center for Reproductive Rights shows, for example, that nationwide, GOP lawmakers did not consider the impact of abortion bans on parental leave, bereavement for loss, surrogacy, insurance, and pregnant people who are incarcerated.

Bad Policies 

The GOP also fails to acknowledge that their policies limiting access to health care are contributing to this crisis. They deny the scope of practice for midwifery in rural communities by overemphasizing one fetal demise as a systemic issue. Therefore, they refuse to give a hearing to a bill that would create a Certified Community Midwife Board to oversee the licensing and regulation of community midwives – thus helping with the shortage of health care providers Georgia is experiencing. 82 of the state’s 159 counties have no OBGYN, yet Republicans spend their time defending HOV lane eligibility and personhood for embryos and fetuses. 

Selective Use of Data 

The GOP has failed to use data from the Georgia Department of Public Health that clearly states the list of definitions for pregnancy deaths. There are pregnancy-associated and there are pregnancy-related deaths.  Pregnancy-associated deaths are the overarching theme, with about 68 pregnancy-associated deaths for every 100,000 live births, as found by the Georgia Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

Emphasis on Individual Responsibility 

Republicans focus excessively on individual behavior and responsibility while downplaying systemic factors. This creates a false narrative. The leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths is hemorrhage, and all hemorrhage deaths were determined to be preventable by the Georgia Department of Public Health.

Misinformation Campaigns 

Misinformation campaigns have a chilling effect on care. The GOP’s role in spreading misinformation regarding maternal mortality has been shown by their continued efforts to downplay the severity of the issue, as well as the $2 million in annual funding they provide to Crisis Pregnancy Centers that are designed to convince pregnant people not to have abortions.   

Additionally, the way politicians and media outlets frame discussions around maternal mortality can contribute to a false narrative. Creating a false narrative to support policies they have already passed is greatly harming the women of this state. Their inability to take in factual, science-based research is allowing them to create policies that do not match the needs of the women of Georgia.  

Lawmakers also provide misleading framings of policies. They may advocate for policies that, on the surface, appear to address maternal health but, in reality, might not be evidence-based or comprehensive in addressing the root causes of maternal mortality. The closing of rural hospitals in GA due to lack of funding has created healthcare deserts for many Georgians. The lack of healthcare workers greatly contributes to women dying from hemorrhaging due to “providers not being able to respond in a timely manner,” the Georgia Health Department says. 

Opposition to comprehensive sex education 

An absence of comprehensive sex education contributes to unintended pregnancies, limited access to crucial information for making informed decisions about family planning, and stigmatized interactions with agencies that are ready to assist. 

Downplaying socioeconomic factors 

Maternal mortality is often linked to socioeconomic factors such as income, education, and access to healthcare. When lawmakers create a narrative that you must have private insurance, quality hospitals, healthy and nutritious foods, and minimal stress to have a healthy pregnancy and a better outcome for childbirth, it greatly limits who can get pregnant and what their outcomes look like.  

What do we do? 

There is a desperate need for bipartisanship to solve this crisis. 

Maternal mortality is a complex issue that requires a collaborative approach. To make meaningful progress, it is essential to come together, prioritize evidence-based policies, and address the systemic factors contributing to the high rates of death. 

Testimony from experts (mostly Black women) to the Georgia House Democratic Caucus revealed a slew of commonsense solutions.

We must increase the number of community-based organizations and approve more state funding for non-hospital care settings like birth centers. 

We must improve social support during the prenatal and postpartum periods by expanding Medicaid to reimburse folks for doulas and midwives and overall increasing access and coverage to maternal mental health services. 

We need more culturally competent healthcare providers. 

We must incentivize providers to work in rural areas. 

We need to expand abortion access. 

We must provide a consistent standard of care in every healthcare setting. 

We must always remember the human beings behind the data. 

In January, I presided over a hearing held by Georgia House Democrats to discuss the state’s maternal mortality crisis. 

Safira Zayas, a doula and emergency medical technician who almost died while giving birth and lost a cousin to C-section complications, spoke powerfully about the need for change.

“Behind these numbers lie tragic stories of lives lost, families shattered, and futures altered,” Zayas said. “Each statistic represents a mother whose journey through childbirth ended in tragedy. It’s a plea to prioritize the lives of mothers and the future generations they bring into this world.”

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