One way to be a part of influencing the policies that impact families is by advocating in your state to expand access to pre and post-natal healthcare coverage, paid sick days and paid family leave. Some states have already expanded access to these programs but other states still need passionate advocates to encourage their policymakers to prioritize these issues. If you live in Texas, North Carolina, or Georgia there are opportunities to engage in advocating for families. Fill out the form below to learn more.
Families Valued: Maternal Health
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
In 2022, Families Valued advocates joined together to petition their representatives to protect pregnant workers by supporting the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). On December 22, 2022 the bill received a bipartisan majority in the Senate. President Biden signed the PWFA into law on December 29, 2022 as part of year-end legislation. Advocates that spoke out on behalf of pregnant women and children helped make this important change. The PWFA will make it much easier for pregnant women to secure necessary changes at work: a place to sit, adequate breaks. It means safer pregnancies for women and a healthier start for their children. The final legislation also confirmed religious freedom protections for employers – a demonstration of hard-won common ground on the PWFA between policymakers with different views about abortion.
Advocacy is not always easy or straightforward, nor is finding agreement with our fellow citizens. Faithfulness in these hard tasks is what continues the work to help mothers, children and families thrive.
“CPJ has provided me with practical steps to engage with politics that make change happen. Political involvement can feel like a behemoth of a thing, but to be able to very practically see how I can jump on a call with other faith leaders and senators in a way that changes their vote, that is empowering. I was able to see that when you approach it in a very careful and practical way, with community, lives are changed.”
–Kendall Vanderslice, Baker, Writer, Food & Theology Scholar
Following this conversation with her senators, Kendall was able to see the fruit of her labor when the policy she was so passionately promoting, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, was signed into law on December 29, 2022. This revolutionary piece of federal legislation closes an important gap in legal protections for pregnant and postpartum workers and guarantees reasonable accommodations that are needed due to pregnancy and childbirth.
Black Motherhood Matters
Paid leave and maternal care are issues of racial justice. Advocating for maternal health access thus requires advocating for equal access to maternal care, paid leave, and pregnancy accommodations for every mother.
Currently, the maternal mortality rate for black women is 2.6 times the rate for white women, and women of color are also much more likely to be in jobs that do not offer paid family leave.
An October 2022 webinar, Black Motherhood Matters, examines the systemic factors that lead to higher maternal mortality rates for black mothers and their children. Guests Khadija Garrison Adams, Lauren Reilford, and Cessilye Smith and moderator Kathyrn Freeman discuss what it looks like for Christian communities to support and affirm Black motherhood.
Medicaid Expansion in Texas 2023
In 2023, Families Valued helped improve health access for women in Texas by urging state legislators to extend Medicaid for a full 12 months after pregnancy. Many Texas-based Families Valued advocates joined a sign-on letter and shared their stories in order to win a policy that will help hundreds of thousands of women and children. Now Arkansas is the only state in the United States without extended medicaid access for 12 months post-partum.
“Most maternal deaths occur after birth, and 80 to 90 percent of them can be prevented. Compared to white women, black and indigenous women are 2-3 times more likely to die from childbirth-related causes.We need to address the root cause of our health care crisis.”
—Cessilye Smith, Founder of Abide Women’s Health Services
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Policy Brief
Black Motherhood Matters
Healthcare Access for Texas Moms
Texas Medicaid Expansion
Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Tracker
