Bills to catch and address racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health care passed the Michigan Senate Tuesday.
The legislation, nicknamed the "Momnibus," would require the state health department to collect, review, and publish data on inequities. The department would also plan how to address them.
State Senator Erika Geiss (D-Detroit) sponsored the package. She said she hopes that information helps close any gaps.
“It’s still amazing to me that there are people who are still having such horrible experiences, life threatening experiences and often preventable ones,” Geiss told reporters after the vote.
Ahead of voting, Republicans unsuccessfully tried to change the bills so they would also include reporting of abortion data. Some voted against the bills after that attempt failed.
That included state Senator Jonathan Lindsey (R-Allen), who sponsored the unsuccessful amendments.
“Certain communities have drastically different outcomes when it when it comes to having abortions as a result of a pregnancy. Passing yet another government report that only addresses part of the issue is a disservice to expectant mothers across Michigan,” he said.
But Geiss emphasized that the package was about giving people the pregnancy and childbirth care that they need, rather than abortions.
According to state data, Black women were more than twice as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related causes during the latest available reporting period.
Aside from data collection, the bills would also require hospitals to accommodate patients’ birthing plans. That include plans that involve a doula or midwife.
The legislation also would expand civil rights protections to pregnant and lactating people.
Geiss said the bills would serve as an overall step toward reproductive justice.
“Making sure that people have the culturally competent care that they need, and making sure that as a state, we're collecting the data that will help improve, continuing to make improvements to maternal health and infant care and reducing maternal death and infant death,” she said.
Most of the package will still need to make it past the state House of Representatives before it can head to the governor’s desk. There are waning days in the year’s legislative session for that to happen.
