Moms face a public health crisis that’s putting Mississippi behind every other state, speakers said at a Legislative Black Caucus hearing. Advocates called on the state to expand Medicaid, protect food assistance programs, create standardized paid parental leave, support midwives and doulas, and invest in child care and early childhood education.
Mississippi is one of the most dangerous places to give birth, especially for Black women, who are four times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. Half of Mississippi’s counties are maternity care deserts, and the state Health Department has declared a public health emergency over the state’s infant mortality rate — the highest in the nation.