Connecticut lawmakers call for reproductive justice for Black maternal health care

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Connecticut lawmakers gathered Wednesday in Hartford to call for more awareness and action to increase safety for Black mothers. The event’s theme, Our Bodies Still Belong to Us: Reproductive Justice Now, highlighted Black Maternal Health Week. “Black Maternal Health Week is a call to action, a call to dismantle structural racism, eliminate disparities in health care access and quality, and ensure that every Black mother and birthing parent receives the respectful, equitable and culturally competent care they deserve,” Rep. Robyn Porter (D-District 94) said. Black mothers are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The large majority of those deaths are preventable.