On Thursday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders came together to highlight the importance of maternal health initiatives aimed at supporting mothers before and after childbirth.
The two governors, hailing from opposing political parties, shared their efforts to tackle maternal mortality rates and improve maternal care in their respective states during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press”.
A Call for Change in Maternal Health
Governor Sanders, who has three children, spoke passionately about the maternal health crisis in Arkansas, which consistently ranks among the worst states in terms of maternal mortality rates.
Sanders, a Republican, described her concerns about the state’s alarming statistics and how her administration began addressing the issue soon after she became governor.
“If we can see these women and help them and support them from the very beginning of their pregnancy all the way through, then we can help address some of these problems and we can change maternal health,” Sanders stated. “Not just in our state, but across the country.”
To tackle this issue, Sanders convened a strategic working group in Arkansas to find ways to improve maternal health outcomes.
She was “pleasantly shocked” by the support for the group, even from individuals who had actively campaigned against her. She pointed out that maternal health was a unifying issue that transcended political divides.
“Everybody knows a mom. Everybody has a mom,” Sanders remarked, reflecting the universal nature of the issue.
This collaborative effort led to the introduction of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act and the establishment of the Proactive Postpartum Call Center, which reaches out to women in their first six weeks postpartum to check on both their physical and mental health.
Postpartum Care: A Key Focus
Olivia Walton, founder of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America, emphasized the importance of postpartum care, which is often neglected in the U.S. She stressed that two-thirds of maternal mortality occurs after childbirth, particularly when mothers leave the hospital and do not receive follow-up care.
“We’ve got to start doing postpartum care because we don’t really do it in America,” Walton said. “In the postpartum space … it’s a continuum. And I firmly believe this, because two-thirds of maternal mortality happens after the baby is born, after mom has left the hospital. Forty percent of moms don’t go back for any checkup.”
She added that 60% of Medicaid moms don’t return for follow-up care, highlighting a significant gap in care. Walton pointed to the gold standard of home visits by nurses within two weeks after childbirth, which is already happening in some parts of the country.
She praised Governor Sanders’ proactive approach with Arkansas’s postpartum call center as a model solution.
Governor Moore’s Approach in Maryland
In Maryland, Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, introduced a program called the Bridge Program, which focuses on providing low-income mothers with cash assistance both during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.
The initiative aims to provide additional financial support for families in areas with concentrated poverty, particularly for 150 families in Maryland.
“Maternal health becomes a huge part of all this,” Moore said. “We know that if you want to better help children and address the issue of childhood poverty, it means supporting their families and supporting their moms.”
Moore also stressed the connection between maternal health and the well-being of children, noting that improved maternal care can help reduce childhood poverty in the long run.
Abortion and Maternal Health: Differing Views, Shared Goals
Despite their differences on the issue of abortion, both governors agreed that supporting mothers and children should be a priority. Sanders, who describes herself as unapologetically pro-life, said, “I’m proud that Arkansas is one of the most pro-life states in the country.
I want to continue to elevate that. But so often we stop the conversation after the baby is born, and I think that it can’t just be if we’re pro-life. We have to be whole-life.”
Moore, on the other hand, supports abortion rights and disagreed with the Roe v. Wade decision being overturned. He noted that the issue of abortion is about ensuring that women have the right to make choices regarding their own healthcare. He highlighted his support for Maryland’s state constitution, which enshrines the right to abortion.
“I do respectfully disagree on the Roe v. Wade decision,” Moore said, adding that he supported Marylanders enshrining abortion access in the state constitution last year.
He also emphasized the need for comprehensive care, saying that regardless of differing views on abortion, both sides can agree on the importance of maternal health.
Bipartisan Efforts for Maternal Health
The conversation between Governor Sanders and Governor Moore reflects a bipartisan effort to improve maternal health in the United States. While their political ideologies differ, both recognize the urgent need to address the maternal health crisis by focusing on both prenatal and postpartum care.
Through initiatives like the Proactive Postpartum Call Center in Arkansas and the Bridge Program in Maryland, both governors are taking steps to ensure that mothers receive the care and support they need, from pregnancy through to the crucial postpartum period.
As these initiatives gain attention, it’s clear that maternal health will continue to be a significant issue in American politics, with both sides pushing for comprehensive policies to improve the well-being of mothers and their families.
