Two Louisiana bills would improve health care for pregnant Black women

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Advocate groups and survivors shared their concerns about Black maternal health care in Louisiana at the Capitol as lawmakers hear proposed bills. On Wednesday, April 17, State Sen. Regina Barrow, who authored two Senate bills that have passed out of committee, talked about the challenges Black women face during childbirth and pregnancy. “Birthing outcomes, especially for women of color, are very low. Unfortunately, we rank as an F,” Barrow said. Senate Bill 142 would require doula services to be covered by Medicaid. Senate Bill 143 would require healthcare providers who provide prenatal and postpartum care to screen for hypertension and preeclampsia. “Sometimes when women show up and they talk about or complain that they are having an issue or they’re having pain here, it’s dismissed by some physicians,” Barrow said. Sorority to honor women who died during childbirth with event in Baton Rouge According to the CDC, hundreds of people in the U.S. die during pregnancy every year or in the year after, and thousands more have unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery with short or long-term consequences to health. One woman, Chantell Zenon, described what she called a traumatizing birthing experience. She said she...