Black Maternal Mortality Crisis and the Momnibus Legislative Effort

In 2021 the CDC recorded 32.9 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in the United States, a rate ten times higher than comparable high-income nations. Black women accounted for 69.9 % of those deaths, and their mortality rate is three times that of white women.

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Anthropologist Dána-Ain Davis links the disparity to inequitable health-care access, structural racism, and a legacy of medical abuse, noting that racism amplifies stress and vigilance for Black women throughout reproductive care.

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The CDC data show a 32.9 per-100,000 maternal mortality rate, a ten-fold gap with peer nations, 69.9 % of U.S. maternal deaths involving Black women, a three-fold higher risk for Black mothers, and 80 % of deaths deemed preventable.

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Wanda Irving calls for accountability and systemic transformation to end preventable deaths. Ashlei Spivey emphasizes community-driven reform to overcome medical mistrust. Rep. Lauren Underwood argues the Momnibus Act provides tools to reduce preventable maternal deaths, particularly for Black mothers. Angela D. Aina warns that removing “Black” from the bill’s title undermines its original purpose.

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The Momnibus package’s recent removal of “Black” from its name has been described as a “painful irony,” suggesting that explicit reference to Black women is being downplayed. Underwood expressed disappointment, questioning why legislation aimed at closing the Black maternal health gap should be stripped of that reference.

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• 2020: Wanda Irving delivers a TED Talk describing systemic failures in maternal health.

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• 2021: CDC releases maternal mortality statistics.

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• 2024: Good Good Good publishes article on Black maternal mortality.

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• 2026: Update notes removal of “Black” from the Momnibus Act.

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• May 18: Rep. Lauren Underwood, Rep. Alma Adams, and Sen. Cory Booker reintroduce the Momnibus Act.

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• “It is long past time that leaders in the medical community take steps to transform the health care system status quo,” — Wanda Irving, mother and TED speaker

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• “If the system is not serving us, how do we radically imagine and dismantle that system and think of something else rooted in community, rooted in what we need?” — Ashlei Spivey, I Be Black Girl

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• “There is a painful irony in a bill that originated as the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, that was named to address the Black maternal health crisis, no longer naming the population it was created to serve,” — Angela D. Aina, Black Mamas Matter Alliance

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• “80% of maternal deaths in America are preventable, and the Momnibus is designed to stop them,” — Rep. Lauren Underwood, Illinois

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The Momnibus Act is pending congressional action after its May 18 reintroduction. Advocacy groups continue to urge explicit inclusion of Black women and broader community-based reforms to lower preventable maternal deaths.

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