The U.S. is the deadliest high-income nation in the world for childbirth—and Black women bear the brunt of this emergency. 

We are nearly three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, regardless of our income or education level. The stress and anxiety caused by this specter of death is likely part of the reason Black women disproportionately experience maternal mental health conditions, the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth, twice as often as all women. Yet up to half do not receive treatment. 

Not nearly enough is being done to change these conditions.   

One in five women in this nation experience a mental health condition like postpartum depression and anxiety. This means that if you know 10 mothers, two (or more) have likely dealt with a perinatal mental health condition, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, or psychosis. Sadly, the overwhelming majority who experience these conditions never receive treatment. In part, this is because less than 20% of moms are screened for maternal mental health disorders. Those who are screened may have trouble accessing treatment because 70% of counties lack sufficient maternal mental health resources. 

These abysmal diagnostic and treatment rates contribute to making suicide and overdose the leading causes of maternal death in the first year after a baby is born. 

But these are problems we can address.

First, we need to acknowledge that like many other health issues rooted in our nation’s history, Black women are in the eye of the maternal mental health storm. Many Black women and birthing people face barriers to accessing treatment, including stigma, financial obstacles, justified fears of child welfare systems, and insufficient culturally competent care. 

Second—and this is especially important to discuss now during Black Maternal Mental Health Week—we must demand that elected officials do more to address the needs of the most affected and least treated. That starts by passing the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, a comprehensive package of bills that includes the Moms Matter Act, which invests in prevention, intervention, and treatment and grows and diversifies the maternal mental health workforce. In practice, the Momnibus has the potential to fund significant investments in community-based programs that effectively address equity issues in maternal health, provide funding for tech to address racism and biases in screening and treatment, and expand mental health treatments and supports. This holistic package would go far to change our country’s position as the most dangerous place to give birth among industrialized nations. 

Its enactment would also mean that mothers with mental health conditions or substance use disorders, or who are incarcerated, could finally access the care they need—and moms and babies will have a greater chance of surviving childbirth and the postpartum period. 

Passing the Momnibus Act also sends the badly needed, long overdue message that our lawmakers actually care and are serious about fixing one of the most devastating and costly health problems our nation faces. Now more than ever, we must invest in these maternal health equity lifelines to help Black mothers and babies survive and thrive.