‘Momnibus’ Bill Gaining Ground in House
Jennie Jacoby, Senior Federal Policy Counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, spoke to Medpage Today about the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021—a package of 12 bills to advance inclusive and accessible maternal health care, especially for Black and Indigenous people who are most impacted by the U.S. maternal health crisis.
“My story started with my mother, who is a Black woman,” Jacoby told the publication. “When my mom was pregnant with me 32 years ago, she had access to really great care, but unfortunately due to some implicit bias and medical racism, she had preeclampsia and the doctors completely missed it.” Jacoby is sharing her family story “to Congress, to the administration, to really ground people to the reality that the problem is actually getting worse, and if it could happen to me, it could happen to any Black or brown person in this country. We really need to do something so my daughter doesn’t go through this as well.”
