Do Republicans Want More Moms to Die?
Read my column in "The Contrarian"
Writing for “The Contrarian”
This is not the usual day or time for “The Healing Newsletter,” but read on.
If you don’t know “The Contrarian” on Substack I encourage you to check it out. It was started by former Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, and Norm Eisen, an attorney, author and former diplomat, though those generic labels don’t speak to his myriad accomplishments (read the Wikipedia entry on Eisen for more information). “The Contrarian” provides great coverage of the Trump administration’s anti-democratic, and I would say anti-American, actions. It also supports Eisen’s legal work in opposition to the administration. If you are stuck thinking of how exactly to fight back against the truly awful things being done by our government right now, getting a paid subscription to “The Contrarian” would be a place to start. The link to keep reading my column will take you to the site.
I pitched to them to write about health care and I am happy to report that they were interested. You can read the start of the column below, but to finish you’ll have to follow the link to “The Contrarian.” If you find the column worthwhile, please send it around and link to it on social media. I’d like to keep writing for them, so the more attention the column gets, the better. You can comment here, or there—if you comment there you will be part of a larger conversation on this issue. That can be fun and rewarding, if you’re interested.
In “The Contrarian”
Do Republicans Want More Mothers to Die?
Proposed Cuts to Medicaid Suggest Yes.
The United States has an abysmal maternal mortality rate: at 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, it is almost double the number of maternal deaths in the next country in line, Chile. For some perspective, consider that Norway’s rate in 2022 was 0. If you’re a Black woman in the United States, the likelihood of dying from a pregnancy-related cause is more than twice the U.S. rate overall: 49.5 deaths for every 100,000 births. And the maternal mortality rate here is getting worse, not better, which is why it’s beyond troubling that Republican legislators have called for huge cuts to Medicaid in their recent budget proposal. 41.5% of births in the United States are covered by Medicaid. Taking health care from almost half the pregnant women in this country will not end well for them or their children.
Meanwhile…
Friends here in Barcelona—the colleagues sponsoring Arthur’s sabbatical—loaned us their beach condo over Easter weekend to aid in my convalescence from the flu. The Mediterranean was gorgeous and I did find the sea air healing, even if not balmy.
Hugs to all,
Theresa
Very powerful piece, Theresa, especially because of the pragmatic and factual economic nature of what you wrote. Having no prenatal care seems like an unacceptable option, and badgering potential Medicaid applicants in the hopes of uncovering someone's "hidden" income seems unnecessarily cruel. When I was practicing, the obstetrical patients I encountered came in all ethnicities and social situations, but I have been alarmed at the recent increase of terrible maternal outcomes reported among black women, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The cuts being discussed are ill-advised and certainly appear to give credence to a very mean and un-American streak in those politicians pushing hard for passage of the current proposed budget. Let's hope that articles such as yours help to give pause to such momentum, so that a more measured (and probably more challenging) dialogue ends up taking hold among our elected officials.
Excellent article, Theresa, on such an important topic! (As you know, I wrote a piece on the same issue a few weeks ago, but without your very moving interview of two young mothers who would be affected by these cuts.)
I honestly don’t get what Republicans’ plan is. Are they just hoping that everything will work out for women and their babies who don’t have healthcare? Or are they secretly hoping to (in Scrooge’s words) decrease the surplus population?