The Systemic Crisis in Maternal and Child Health: Understanding the Forces Undermining Health Autonomy
Maternal and child health in the United States faces a profound and interconnected crisis, underscored by the erosion of women’s reproductive autonomy, severe healthcare disparities, and broader systemic challenges. Recent legal restrictions have undermined women’s right to make critical decisions about their own bodies and families, diminishing control over reproductive health and affecting overall well-being. This crisis affects not only individual mothers and children but ripples through communities, compromising the foundation of public health and wellness across generations.
Healthcare disparities further compound the crisis, with low-income families and communities of color disproportionately affected by poor access to quality care, housing instability, and environmental hazards. Systemic racism and implicit bias have created a landscape where racial and ethnic minorities receive lower quality care and face significant obstacles within the healthcare system. Socioeconomic challenges, such as limited access to nutritious food, safe housing, and comprehensive health services, expose mothers and children to greater risks, resulting in higher rates of adverse outcomes, particularly among Black and Indigenous mothers.
Additionally, the broader social determinants of health—education, employment opportunities, and social support—play a crucial role in maternal and child health outcomes. Families with limited resources often encounter barriers to these essential supports, creating a cycle of poor health outcomes that can persist for generations. Addressing this systemic crisis requires policy reform that promotes equity in healthcare, protects reproductive rights, and actively reduces health disparities. A commitment to advancing health equity, enhancing healthcare access, and fostering community-based support is essential to protect maternal and child health autonomy and ensure a healthier future for all.
Read on to learn from our guest speakers Nancy Davis, Sadi Summerlin, and Victoria Williams.
Notes
Tia Fields: Good morning, everybody and happy One Rouge Friday. I'm so excited for you all to be here with us today on this call as we talk about a present issue to all the mamas, daddies, grandparents on this call as it relates to the pandemic to maternal and child health. Honored to be hosting this call with friends and sisters in this fight. We have Sadi Summerlin, who is a reproductive justice advocate, as well as a person that is just a kick ass woman when it comes to just champion everything that deals with justice for women. We have my partner in crime where I stand on the board for the Nancy Davis Foundation, Nancy Davis, and as well as Dr. Victoria Royal Williams. I will allow them to introduce themselves and share whatever it is that they want to share and we'll jump right into the conversation. Sadi, you can go first.
Sadi Summerlin: Hey, everybody. I will begin with just a quick apology. I apologize I am on the road. I'm actually headed to Baton Rouge right now. So just a little bit about myself. A few years ago I founded a grassroots organization over here in southwest Louisiana called Pro Choice with Heart Gulf Coast. Over here, there's really a desert of those who are willing to speak on reproductive justice as it needs to be spoken on. There's a lot of fear over here. It's a very rural area, and so I felt like we can't make any changes if we didn't start the conversation. So that was really the biggest hurdle that I had to overcome. And then it was networking across the state because we are not an island over here in Southwest Louisiana, and we cannot affect change for our state alone. It's going to take all of us standing together. That's what I've been working on. And then last year I made a very big decision to run for Congress for Louisiana District three because I realized that in order for us to get changes that we need people in office that are going to work towards these policy changes. And right now we have very few people at any level in our state that's working towards that. And so here I am and it's been a journey. It's been amazing. And I have reproductive justice as a cornerstone to my platform. So it's enabled me to talk about this across the district. And I have to say, it's been empowering for me, but more importantly, I have seen people empowered to talk about this in their lives and to advocate it in their personal lives with their families and their friends, and that's powerful. So it's been a journey and I'm glad to be here.
Tia: I was on mute. Go ahead. Go ahead..
Victoria Williams: It doesn't matter if Nancy wants to go either way. I couldn't see. So I was like, Oh, wait, is it my turn? Great morning. I'm Victoria, Dr. Victoria Williams with the Birthmark Doula Collective here in New Orleans, Louisiana, and we are a reproductive justice organization that also provides direct service to clients in the community with doula lactation, and also we have three tenants, which are doula lactation and advocacy, along with that direct service. But I am the advocacy and outreach lead. Birthmark is also a very unique organization in that we are a co-op. So I'm also a member owner of the organization and that means that, as a worker on co-op that we provide entrepreneurship for a field that has been overlooked been traditionally grassroots organized, a grassroots profession, doulas that is, and birth workers. Yeah, I think that's it until we get into the conversation.
Tia: No worries. Always a blessing to have you in space with us. Even if it is virtual, I am so sad that I missed the event here that you had in October. I heard it was impactful.
Victoria: It's going to be regional, so we'll come back to Baton Rouge, but next year, we'll be in Shreveport and Lafayette.
Tia: I'll make sure to put this on my calendar. Next up, we have Nancy Davis on the call. Go ahead and introduce yourself and tell the people who you are.
Nancy Davis: Good morning. Good morning. Everyone. As Tia just mentioned, my name is Nancy Davis and I founded the Nancy Davis foundation. After going through a very personal and painful experience, which put me on a mission to seeking justice and change. To make a long story short, I was denied an abortion for a non viable pregnancy, a non viable fetus. And I had to go out of state to New York to get the abortion care that I deserve. So I founded the Nancy Davis Foundation. Our mission revolves around a few things. It revolves around advocating for reproductive justice, maternal health, bridging gaps in health care access, as well as helping other individuals who are facing struggles with receiving health care for non viable pregnancies. Thank you all for having me.
Tia: Thank you so much, Nancy. There is an African saying that when we see each other, the question we ask is, how are the children? And I would pose the question to say yes or no. Is in my belief that if the mama isn't well, there is no way that the Children can be well. So let's talk a little bit about the importance of the care that starts in the womb at the moment of conception on the things that women need to make sure that they have access to in order to, fulfill their duty as a mama, you guys can jump in at any time.
Sadi: So I'll talk about my area over here. We are facing quite the healthcare desert. And we're losing healthcare workers all the time. I often see posts on social media and local groups asking for OBGYNs because there's just up and left. They just don't just close up shop and they're gone. And that's happening more and more. And so the first step is having health care available and that's a big step, but it's impossible to get the support of health care in that area and I'm going to go ahead and talk about this Ms. Victoria. I love what you do. That the help and the service, but we don't have that here as, good luck finding that. And so that's the issue in our area in the Southwest. And it is a healthcare desert. So that's a big hindrance in anybody's health.
Victoria: One of my biggest mantras is that no one should birth alone. And so when you talk about the health care of the mother and the baby that is immediately where my brain goes. Because if we birth in communities, as birth should be and not birthing alone, then I feel like the love and the care from the community will just engulf the mom, right? And then each baby will be born in that same love and care and community. That's in a perfect world. I think that there are worlds where they don't have extreme or in any sort of laws of government that govern their reproductive health, and they're still able to birth in community. And you can see that we see this often it's sad when third world countries have better birth outcomes than this one, than the U. S. And Doulas are a solution in rural areas. We also promote community health workers or perinatal community health workers who are usually equipped with a lot more different styles of training that community connection and community care aspect, and they're able to provide like patient support, doula support which by the navigation of community of the health care system for our parents in those rural areas. Yeah if mama's not okay, then the world is not okay. So we just continue to wrap our arms around our parents and our birthing people so that we can all feel safe.
Nancy: And to end with these two beautiful ladies just say it's a limited access to quality healthcare. I do know where I'm from is the low income area. So a lot of times we don't have or lack access to prenatal care. And postnatal care for whatever reason, some of the reasons being lack of resources, some of the reasons being lack of transportation. Sometimes people have to travel long distances to reach a clinic or even a hospital and it can be something as well, I'm not going to say simple. And the lack of insurance coverage, but a lot of people don't have insurance coverages. This really limits their ability to get the proper care that they need.
Tia: Go ahead, Sadi. Go ahead. I just want to say that I feel like.
Sadi: Both of y'all made really good points as far as other factors that have affected us. Victoria, the fact that we don't have that community, if you will, that we are in a society of individualism, right? We have that nonsense saying of pull yourself up by the bootstrap, which is, it's impossible. And so we tend, especially with our mothers we tend to put unfair expectations on our mothers without giving any kind of support for those very high expectations. And then, Nancy, you're right. Insurance is sky high. It's almost impossible to import. It's out of reach. And then when you do get what you can afford, it's very unhelpful insurance. You almost end up feeling like you're just paying for a ticket to go to the doctor. And that definitely has a critical impact, I think, on the health of our mothers as well.
Tia: Something that Nancy was speaking to as depending on what type of insurance that you have, or if you have insurance, there are so many barriers that comes with getting adequate and quality care. We here at One Rouge, we champion our work around the nine drivers of poverty, the things that contribute to the systems staying in place and essentially making it hard for people to progress in this world. And so when she said about the transportation barrier it made me think about social determinants of health. My background is in mental health and public health space. So when I think about my own personal pregnancy journey last year, I was pregnant with twins. I now have a 10 month old beautiful baby boy. But because I suffer with epilepsy and had very limited insurance. I myself went through a system where I had a medical emergency and I was not given the fair treatment or the just treatment that I needed to make sure that my second fetus stayed alive. But to the point, I had the personal feeling of feeling like because I was on Medicaid the type of services that I received as a black woman or a low income woman, I wasn't giving the treatment that I needed. Can anyone share their thoughts, opinions, or facts on this system on black women, indigenous women? Low income moms and their treatment in the healthcare system.
Victoria: I know we all don't want to talk at once, but I definitely believe that yeah, it is unfair and there are so many differences. If you start with the social determinants of health as a parameter, as a viewpoint we look at access to quality, nutritious food, stable housing, all of these things are essential for our families who are disproportionately marginalized in the system, this reality really causes them an increase of health risk because it highlights there's no comprehensive policies that really address those issues. Economic barriers like those are the root cause. And so under my policy agenda with Mama Plus, that's something that we tackle with our we tackle the nine in our nine titles is the social determinants of health, because we know that if you answer these questions, then sometimes all these other barriers would be broken and then now our family is not just impacted by their day to day. Like can you imagine that like I'm impacted by my day to day needs and also now I have a legal restraint and also I have, it's just, it's too much. I feel like our families feel like they're drowning because there's no answer for my day to day. I'm also a social worker. So I think about not mad lows, hierarchy of needs and love food. These are basic things that every day they have limited access to, which feels like I don't know. It feels very unfair, and it feels like what we know is that it's rooted in systematic racism in our healthcare system, and yeah, in turn, there is a bias. And so then our families are then, once again, impacted by this critical racial structure in our healthcare policy. I didn't mean to share doom and gloom, but I tried my best to paint a picture that, it's not just one problem, it is all of our problems, and we all have to find a solution for it together in community.
Sadi: We do, yes. Do want to say this Victoria and I get to enjoy each other's company a few weekends throughout the year, and I, they're my favorite, they give me life. And we did speak about systematic racism within the healthcare system and my background is in education and one of the things that we explored in my graduate level, I do want to say this if I graduate level of getting my education was exploring all of the different people and culture that we would have in our classrooms, because when you're working in public education, you're working with the public. And so it is important to know about different cultures and aspects, and so that you don't be a part of the problem, if you will. At least that's how I took that knowledge with me. And I asked Victoria one time when we were discussing that, is there anything similar to that for healthcare education? And you said, no, there isn't. And I just, I have to wonder if that, if including something like that within the education for health care, could that help dismantle that systematic racism, could that move us to a more inclusive system where we all, get equal treatment and the health care that we deserve because we're humans?
Tia: Actually went into my next question on what role can a cultural competency training benefit health care providers on addressing racial and ethnic disparities. You hit that right on the head. And it's, to me, it's yes, all these trainings are important. And there, I would like to believe that within our health systems, it's almost a requirement, but that doesn't shift the mindset of the individual who believes that they have some type of superiority over a certain class or race based group of individuals. And that's what's so frustrating to me is that and I'm not really sure the structure on how health care systems are governed or who they answer to. But I know I want to see policies in place that not only make cultural competency a requirement, but there has to be consequences when a level of discrimination or a level of oppression is being targeted to women. I never thought that I would say that there is a misogynistic error when it comes to health care.
Sadi: It's an education too, to be honest with you. And I will say this, I agree with you, and I will share a personal experience that I had in one of my classes in graduate school. Another student in the class was talking about how there's just, there was absolutely no way that she could be accepting or kind to a student's parents if their parents happen to be gay, or lesbian, or whatever. And, the whole class, and I think the teacher was a bit shocked by this, but I told her, and I got in a little bit of trouble for this, by the way, I told her that if that is her stance that she should not be in public education, and I think it's that line in the sand that does need to be drawn, no one is forcing you to be in health care. We don't work in a system where your job is assigned to you. It is a choice that you make, and when we choose to serve in the public realm. Then we must accept inclusivity. At least that's my opinion.
Nancy: I would also like to add to the first question to you. And just piggyback on what Victoria was saying with the social factors, such as poverty, lack of stable housing, food insecurity, and also poor living environments. They also have a major impact on maternal and child health. They also make it hard for families to maintain regular preventive health care and increase the risk of poor health care outcomes requires also might I add health care policy barriers such as abortion bans and dangerous pregnancies as we're seeing all over the United States restricted abortion have left women with our critical reproductive health care options, so they have caused very severe consequences as some women are forced to continue pregnancies that are not viable and life straightening, which can lead to preventable deaths, such as Candy Miller, Amber Thurman.
Tia: We lift their names up in light. Go ahead, Victoria.
Victoria: No, I was going to say that in that same class with Sadi, we talked a lot about cultural humility and no one can be competent in the cultural variations of our world. But when something that I always think about is how this is a heart matter. And as we do these trainings, and as we train individuals, and we give them all this anti racist, anti bias, DEI training, how much is this affecting your heart? Because at some place, a switch has to come into play, where you're like, oh, my goodness. This is a human, this is a black woman, this is a person who has, I don't know if y'all read the book about Henrietta Lacks, and so they didn't realize that she was a person until they saw the fingernail polish on her toes. Like just understanding that we are people and we are all culturally different and we all come from different places. But our education system has taught them how to treat black and brown bodies differently. Man, it's just so many different variables that I think about when it comes to this training and I've been in many trainings. I've instituted training here with LCMC because they had a major article that came out about their care and all the doctors couldn't come. They were like, Oh, we can't bring, we can't shut the hospital down to have this. So it has to be embedded into the education of those pre doctors like pre med, biology you got to change the books, technically, so just having a training won't help, but literally there are systems that are systematically, racially created, continually create that divide in the medical field atmosphere, like there are literally like formulas and paperwork and, computer systems that tell them, yeah, treat this black person different based on these measures. Yeah, so to me, it's bigger than training, but also training is impactful, but how can we switch that heart?
Tia: By making them accountable when they do egregious acts against groups of people, that's how you can do a mind shift. You have to hold people accountable to, not be afraid to challenge oppressive behaviors. And I know these are conversations that we as women, we as black women, as black and brown indigenous folk continue to have generation after generation. And there's always this conversation that an advocate and an activist are two different spaces, but I sometimes feel like it runs simultaneously because it takes emotion for something to be activated, right? I have to be mad as hell to decide like this is the last straw. We were not only marching and protesting, but we're now researching and we're now showing a proof of a system that is perpetually designing to stop the rights of women to birth or terminate a birth. And then I also even think about when we talk about inclusivity and equity, when we say reproductive justice, do our transgender individuals identify individuals fall into that category when it comes to their medication or the things that they need to live a full productive life? And I say that and I may have shared this before.I have a very close friend that is is a trans male, but did a full term pregnancy and during their experience there, and I don't know what is the correct term to say, is this maternal health or I can just say the reproductive health is the best way that I can put it. They were discriminated against horribly by not being, first of all, not being addressed by their proper pronouns to the, sometimes a person doesn't have to say anything. It's the energy that they give that ultimately affects a person's mental health. All of these components, I'm like, okay, what are the policies that have happened that are positive for this movement? And what are some policies that need to be put in place in you guys opinion?
Sadi: I gotta be honest, I am struggling to find there is one. Victoria, I'm gonna let you tell everybody about him. That my brain is giving me. It was a rough past year.
Victoria: Yeah, there are policies in place. We at the Mama Plus Agenda, as I said before, we have nine titles and we really focus on our social determinants of health. And also increasing the workforce that includes increasing the perinatal workforce and providing just as overall reproductive justice lens throughout maternal child health that also in play black and brown bodies. What we've done, of course, it doesn't, it shifts slightly, but the needle still needs to be continuously, you still need to push that needle. Yeah, I'm, let me, give me a minute to find these policies because it's, I'm thinking about maternal health policy. So we do have like extension of postpartum care and we have the doula registry board that creates access. We have a lot of policies that create access. There's been a huge, of course, our governor has been really coming down on language when it comes to the The trans and the, LGBT community and you can't say gay and the, anti gay bill and the teachers are not allowed to call students by their name and their pronouns or who they identify as. So what I will say is that the work will continue to go on, like there are community based organizations that we are still continuing to do the work of promoting what we believe is right in this reproductive and birth justice space. So it's not going to ignore it. Maybe, we continue, we will continue to go to the Capitol and create laws and rules that impact and influence better care for all people, but the work will not stop just because someone says that you can't do it. I hope it's not being recorded, but yeah. I'm just saying.
Tia: It is. It always will. Can someone give me the definition of oppression?
Sadi: I feel like that's easier to describe than to define. Having our voice taken away from us. It's having our power taken away from us. It's having our choices taken away from us. And it's not always through legislative actions. It's also through social realms. That's how I would describe that.
Nancy: Yeah. And might I add, I believe is when like a group of people is treated unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time stops. It also happens when those in power. Use their authority to limit or control the rights and freedoms of others. Often through laws. Discrimination or social norms.
Tia: I just wanted to hear it. I wanted our listeners to hear if not that we needed a reminder of what oppression is. But just to be mindful of notating how oppressive these systems are that are in place, they just continue to grow and expand as we talk about groups of individuals being marginalized within their community, right? So it's one thing to be a woman. One thing to be a black or brown woman. And then another thing to be a pregnant woman who is experiencing low income or living in poverty. Just all of these different subgroups that come about and making it hard for a person to Really just feel like they belong in a society. So as I jump into child health, cause we talked a lot about the maternal aspect of it, child health and infant mortality. But it also makes me think about once the mother has given birth and she's still living in the same conditions, what happens once the baby is born? Do they have adequate healthcare? Does a child have all these different factors that play a part basically sets this human up for either a progression or failure. What are you guys thoughts on once the baby is born and the mother is still living in an impoverished mindset or community?
Sadi: It most definitely has an impact on the child's health. When I had my child with my husband, it was hard to make the ends meet. And so it was challenging. The doctor that we had was almost an hour away without public transportation. And I was still and I think that this is something that we don't even consider. I was recovering from a C section, so I wasn't even cleared to drive. How am I supposed to get to the doctor an hour away if I can't drive, and my husband needs to be at work so that there's an income that we can keep a roof over our head, at the very least. There's the, it feel, I personally felt like I was so alone and had no support, no help, and I feel like I'm being a little unfair because my husband was, he did his best, but he could only be there as much as he could. It's a bigger load to be, to have a support system than what one person can buy. That's my personal experience with that.
Tia: So what you're saying is that after you gave birth to your baby you were on bed rest or couldn't drive your child missed out on health opportunities to be checked adequately because you couldn't make the appointment or the transportation was a barrier.
Sadi: And it feels impossible because then they would call, And we would talk on the phone, but you're not seeing my baby. You're not hearing my baby. You're not, how much of a, how much of a health care and she's good. She's healthy. She's seven. She's sitting in the backseat, listening to the phone call. But thank God she was, I had asthma as an infant. If she would have, if she would have had that. The health risks could have been incredible to her life. Just because I didn't have a way to get to the doctor.
Nancy: As Sadi was just saying it's the lack of health care. Babies might not get the medical checkups or the vaccines that they need. So without this, of course, babies are at more risk at developing health problems. It can be poor nutrition. Some families might not have access to healthy foods, right? This actually leads to issues like poor growth and development, as well as unsafe living conditions. It may be unsafe housing and we all know that stressful environments can also hurt a child's emotional development. It can be when the parents are stressed out, which can impact a child's development and being as well. Fewer educational opportunities. So it is, it's many different factors.
Victoria: Yeah, it's impossible to think that, a baby born in in an environment that is not, viable for the parent will be also like encouraging for the child. So I think that most of the Try to encourage the most is having that community, right? Having people you can lean on even as a doula in our postpartum stages or throughout the entire pregnancy, because we're like, we can't be here the entire time as a provider, who do you have, who have you identified in your circle that can help you? I always say it's that one neighbor who has been trying to connect with you that is actually a part of your community and family. It doesn't have to be blood. These are people who actually want to help and want to see you do well beyond the government. And so we have, we just have to identify those people. But I always say that, we're overlooking people who actually could help us, and that's our job as doulas is to, pinpoint those people out for you because. You can't do this alone. And we have a lot of parents who are just wishing, hoping, praying that our babies make it to one. And so that number is incredible of how many babies who die before the age of one. So how can we prevent that? Creating a community where we see things, we hear things, we know that, you don't have transportation, how can we get you there? How can we create? How can we allow community based organizations to do their job by creating funding streams so that we can provide free, sliding scale services for marginalized communities so that we can, so they can get the care that they need. Just by having one person in your, just by having a doula, your birth outcomes go up just by having a doula. So that's a person who's there, who's able to educate you, advocate you provide emotional support for you. Nancy, you brought up a great point, right? Family, mommy and baby is one unit, is one diet, but the entire family is impacted by this baby. So now you have a grandfather, a grandmother, an aunt. Who also can feel, in some areas we are all living together so we can feel the impact of this baby coming to this home, which causes part of depression, postpartum psychosis, which is why we created a bill where every family member is able to receive a screening related to their postpartum care or postpartum depression. And because The signs are just as egregious of the dad than they are for the mom there are signs too, this aggressive behavior, there's anger, and he may not, or he or she, or that partner may not understand what is happening to their bodies. But yeah, everybody is impacted by the baby. How can y'all help?
Sadi: That's it, Victoria. Baby, that's what it is. The heart of it is. We have to unlearn the hyper individualism. Maybe that's the key to, to really restructuring our society, is to encourage Community from the word go, because I hear us all talking about that and that is all something that is impactful and in a lot of ways lacking in our current society. Maybe it's starting that conversation that pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps really is a nonsense thing that it's leading us to further hurt ourselves.
Nancy: And 1 of the things that Miss Frida pointed out was these are our public policy issues. It will not change until we make the connection between persons. We let public office and the quality of our lives. And that is so true because we have to put people in office who have reproductive freedom at the forefront, who have the best interests of mothers and babies at the forefront. So it will not change unless the policies change.
Tia: I'm really trying to draw the connection to this is a public policy crisis. My good friend at Lori Sharon, she always says that she believes in the theory of people over politics. But if we don't implement good policy, then there is so much at state when it comes to our development as humans, as community. Something that you were saying early Nancy was like, if the child is not able to get adequate healthcare, it affects their development, right? It, it affects their social emotional ways of learning. Then it makes it even a more barrier when it comes time for this child to go enter into the education system. And because they've had so much of lack or because they are experiencing so many different barriers, their education is then attacked as well. Like their ability to thrive for so many different reasons. I think about when the, after the mom I think it's six weeks, nine weeks is normally like the healing time. All right. Mom and dad are eager to go back to work. Who's going to keep the baby. All right. Okay. We don't have anybody to keep the baby. So now the baby has to go into a daycare center. That's more money. Another added level of stress and Lord forbid, don't let the child have some type of health issue that needs constant attention or whether it's a physical aspect, whether it's a mental aspect or even if it's an internal aspect that child requires. Even more intensive, attentive care. It causes creates even more barriers for that parent to feel like, they're providing for the child the best way that they can. So all of these, all these things are like interconnected on making sure that the mom as well so that the baby as well and then making sure to Victoria's part that the entire family as well too. Because if you have other siblings in the house, they take on that stress as well on seeing mom or dad stressed about. Do I miss work? To take care of my child. Do I take the chance and leaving my child with a stranger just all these different components just makes me think about what is it as a community that we can actually advocate for that is going to create a system of community and also hold policymakers accountable.
Victoria: I just want to go back real quick when you say, six weeks, I was like, if a parent doesn't even have paid family leave we're fighting that fight right now in Louisiana that we are as a state, we don't even have a paid leave policy. And, there are ones that you can institute individually as a corporation, but if that is not even a priority. Then how can families stop working to pay, or. How can you stop working? But what are you going to do? That's even setting our families up to the, to this notion, as Sadi said, that you just gotta, just keep going and figure it out as you go. And just that's not even viable. So that means that I only have six weeks I can be off with my baby. But if I had a knee surgery. You would authorize three months of home health care P. T. O. T. If I have a C section, I've had three. I've had three C section with a C section. I'm supposed to go back and jump up at the C week after six weeks and this is a major surgery. I think for me, that's the disconnect that they see this as. Number one, okay, they have this idea that, birth is a medical emergency, but then two, you don't treat me as that my rehab and my rehabilitation into society is as if I could just jump back up and just. Reenter and be okay. And also I'm reentering with a being that I now have to raise and it's nobody's fault. I just saying the medical system should just think about all these different layers, or maybe they don't have to think about it. Maybe it's our job as advocates to show you and to show them and to create systems and policies as much as possible that impact, what we know of, and I know you said, having good people in good places, create great policy, but also what I have learned in doing this work as a community, as a grassroots person, just like Sadi, is that having people who do the work. Also helps to create better policy because we understand we're speaking from the lens of our clients. I'm coming with that view when I'm advocating and, creating policies. So that's just not so far.
Nancy: And let's just be real six weeks is no freaking time. Look, I just had my baby five months ago and I'm just now starting to feel, halfway like myself, right? I know I have a 3 year old Summer. She has mild cerebral palsy. 3 to 4 days a week, we're at doctor's appointments. We're at specialists, we're at therapy, right? If I didn't have the resources or the support system that I have, Like, how would she be able to get the proper care that she needs to thrive?
Tia: Morgan, you came off mute. Oh, sorry. No, go ahead. Morgan, you were coming off of mute. I would love for you to share.
Morgan Udoh: Oh, I didn't realize I was off mute. But yes, I am loving this conversation with someone with three kids, four and under. Yeah, it is ridiculous. How quickly we want to send women back to work when legally we can't wean puppies before six weeks.
Victoria: Exactly. Exactly. Alone include breastfeeding. We ain't even added that into the mix.
Nancy: Oh, Lord. That's a whole nother ball game.
Sadi: Don't we know it? No, I'm not gonna cover my baby's head. Put a blanket over yours.
Victoria: Oh no, I don't play those games. I'm not gonna, no. Uhuh. We don't do that. But yeah, I love this conversation too, because I love envisioning a world where we don't have to have these, so I don't know these views and these restrictions on something that is a transition of life that should be celebrated, that everyone should come together and feel like you are a part of the solution, not creating more barriers and more problems for us to create life. Like we're creating life
Tia: Beautiful. And I thank you guys so much for participating in this conversation. There's so much that I want to say when I think about workplace inclusivity when it comes to nursing and new moms. I know my family at the walls had me in tears a few months ago because I was having issues with child care and I had to bring my baby with me to work and I get a text message. They have bought my son a pack and play was like, Look, if You got to bring your baby and snacks and all that thing. So it's just when we talk about having a community, you're right. It's not just having a blood relatives or close friends. Like the network is like the people that you work for should care about your wellbeing as an individual and especially your wellbeing as a mom. As we. Wrap up on time and move into our community announcements. I just have one last question for the panel. As we gear up for November 5th, I want to know how does this current election present present an opportunity for us to advocate for more comprehensive health care policies that address systemic disparities in maternal and child health? I think Morgan may have put something in the chat that kind of made me ask this question as it relates to this current election and the opportunities that are present for advocating. Oh, my goodness, you know how the chat moves. Morgan, do you remember what you were asking as far as the election?
Morgan: No, I think it was Rev.
Tia: Okay, Rev Anderson. Yeah, domestic violence. I think is that what? Or no. Okay.
Reverend Anderson: I actually had a couple of questions. One was about the fact that elections are where we can ask for running for office about their positions on these things. But the other thing is, when we're not asking them and we're not demanding answers. We're often voting for people that we don't know where they stand on these issues, and how do we get to the place where we put them at every level, so we're not just asking people who are running for president, we're asking people who are running for Metro Council, because they make policies that directly impact all the people who work for the parish. So that was my question, how do we get to the place where we put this in every conversation like we are afraid to say it. It's in every level of government. So how do we get to that place where we force this conversation in every single election?
Sadi: I'd say go to where they are, any kind of public forum that they're at where you're going to be able to ask questions and ask them and ask it in a form of yes or no. Because I think that we have all caught on to the political play of not answering a yes or no question with a yes or no answer. And when somebody who is asked a direct question like that and then talks around it without giving a direct answer, their answer is they're not going to do anything about that.Because if they really like they, they needed to or inspired to or care to then they would have an answer one way or the other. And I say, this is somebody who's now running for office. Because I can say that when you're when I'm asked a question in a public forum, there's pressure. There's public pressure there to give an answer. So that would be my suggestion. And I would say, do it, no matter what level, because I'm with you. It does affect us at every level. So I'd say, do it, go and do it and be brave and make your voice heard.
Victoria: Something else that they're pointing is Sadi and I are both in this a legacy trust. And it's like the training up of other advocates, right? I'm all about youth and young people. And I think that if we don't train them now, we won't have other leaders. So for me, the answer to that would be training our youth and creating avenues for spaces where people can build their advocacy skills and understand policy and understand how to talk to a legislator and really sit down and have those meetings and your voice matters, and you can shape the way policy is built. That is, that's my solution.
Tia: I love that. There's one last question in the chat that I want to acknowledge. Is there a guide list or site of reproductive rights resources from free pregnancy tests for anemone, doula, OB GYN, registry options? so much that sort of thing. Is there a composite of a space where a woman can go for that information?
Victoria: Yeah, I'm posting one that I know of and it varies from state to state, but there's of course, so many national resource gathering spots that have come together. We also have a local resource guide, but because of Louisiana's situation right now, a lot of people don't feel LAF has resources that I could drop in the chat. But yeah if you talk to the right person, they can get you there.
Tia: It's so much, ladies, for sharing space and time on this important conversation that we will have many more times. Victoria, we look forward to the next I don't want to call it a summit or a conference, but a beautiful space. Next year, if there are any other community announcements, now is the time to either drop them in the chat or come off the mute and share with us what you have going on this week or this month. Oh, and happy new moon to my moon lovers.
Casey: Before we get to community announcements. I just want to say first and foremost happy Friday to everyone that didn't get sand on the front end in the last couple of weeks. I've been traveling. So I've missed my family here. And once again, Dr. Bell has outdressed me. I want to say thank you to our speakers today. Understand, I feel like I've listened to how we got here, but I want to understand what would actually have to change the sequence of the change where if a woman is showing up at a hospital and the doctors can't treat her because they think they're going to go to jail and that woman dies. How are we okay with that? And that's rhetorical, right? We're obviously not. What are the sequence of events that would undo that hateful as shit?
Victoria: The one sequence has already dropped. I think Dr. Bell, someone had dropped it in the chat. Some organizations are suing the state. That is one, one method that has happened.
Sadi: Conversation. Look, we're going to need policy change. That's the way that this will be fixed, right? Because it is policy that is preventing a clean environment, it's policy that's allowing that, but for policy to change, not only do we need better people in place, but we need our whole community advocating for better people, for better policy, right? Because I've said this a lot on the road here lately, hate. We've allowed hate to get really loud where it feels like it's the only voice in the room that we can hear, but we also know that hate isn't the only thing that exists, that we have a community that is filled with love for each other, love for better. And I think, to touch on what Victoria just said, it is reaching out to our younger people as well, but it's also, it is also building our community to where we're reaching out and we're building each other up so that we're all. Feeling empowered and strengthened to advocate for better for ourselves, which will drive better quality people who will work for better policy. I know that we're doing that, but I guess to make it really simple, like lovely needs to get really loud.
Casey: Amen. Nancy, I just want to give you space. I saw that you had come off of mute. Okay, so we'll move to community announcements.
Tia: However, Miss Alfreda has her hand up.
Casey: Oh, I didn't see it. Hello. Wow. Dr. Bester. Pardon. Please.
Alfreda Tillman Bester: Good morning. Good morning, everybody. It's that little brown hand and you can barely see it. But I want to Morgan said that Doctors need to become conscientious objectors and that is absolutely true. But in order, you have to realize that the threat of jail is a deterrent for anybody to do the thing that they even want to do. So the doctors can be conscientious objectors if we embody the doctors and circle around them and let them know that they have the level of support from the community and the thing about giving them that knowledge, the only way that we can show them that we really care. Yes, we have to be loud. I think Sadi was saying that we have to be loud about the hate that we're experiencing and not be afraid to challenge the insanity, the absolute insanity of these people who are making policies that impact our lives and literally are killing our young people who are giving birth in this state. I don't even, to me, it's just, we're putting it all on the women. We're literally putting it all on the women. And that's why I'm so glad that we have people like Casey and Dr. Bell who are in this space who are fighting to let us know. It's not just about the women fighting this insanity. It's the women and the men who love us. Who have to fight this and who have to stand up and yes, it's good to go into a space where someone is running for office or that they're already in office. But if they're already in office, we got to wait at least 2 years to get them out. If they're in Congress, right? It's a little bit late. But we have to hold them accountable before we elect them, we have to say to an insane person, and I almost called Sadi's opponent's name, but I'm not going to do it. It's impossible to talk to a person like that. Who is insane and ask them to do what is right. Let me tell you, I don't think that they don't know what's right. I think that they believe that it's politically expedient to not do what's right because nobody holds them accountable. I'll stop there. I got some more thoughts, but I'll stop right there. It's up to all of us. Up to all of us, every single one of us to call out the stupid, call it stupid and to let those people know that they are killing our children. We can't blame physicians for leaving, but if we, they're going to leave, we predicted this. All of us who went to the legislature and who were opposed to this stupid legislation. All of us told them women are going to die and you are going to lose physicians because nobody is going to stay in a position where they are being told that if you treat your patient in accordance with the standard, we're going to put you in jail and some fool who has never spent a day in a medical classroom telling doctors how to practice law. And I'm going to stop now because my husband says my mouth always gets me in trouble.
Casey: I would encourage you not to stop. Don't start stopping now. As I said, let it roll. Speaking. Okay. Last point of privilege. And again, I just want to say thank you to our speakers again. And then everybody who contributed in the chat and jumped in. I'm going to take the moment of silence, which is not really my MO, as everyone who knows me I'm going to take a moment of silence and reflect on words that Dr. Bester just said insane people and strong women in a very nondescript way. I would like to hold a moment of powerful presence. For Tuesday. I'm not willing to pretend like it's not going to happen. So in this group, whatever power we have, let's take a moment of silence. To empower what needs to happen for the future of our country. Whoo! Let's get it. Get people to the polls on Tuesday, folks. It is definitely not just up to women in the election. Get people to the polls and get them to the polls. That's all we have left between now and Tuesday. Community announcement number one. Get people to the polls, Reverend Anderson, and if you want to stop by the farm at Baton Roots Community Farm tomorrow. So good Saturday in the morning time to go put your feet into the earth and your hands into the earth and ground, and then go to the Louisiana Book Festival, everyone, on Saturday, because reading and discernment seems to be a lost art form in America. So let's bring that back and make reading great again. Reverend Anderson.
Reverend Anderson: Good morning. This is a wonderful conversation. As always, I wanted to give three announcements. One is particularly critical for anybody who's working with people looking for jobs. The Louisiana State Police, as of November 4th, will no longer be accepting walk-ins or background checks. Why is that so important? Because it means that the time frame for people to get background checks that have to have them for employment reasons is now going to go to several weeks. And so it's a really critical thing that we get that information out. I will be sharing it, but I just got that information this morning as of November 4th. They will no longer be taking walk in. So anybody who applies for jobs where they have to acquire their background checks from the state police will be directly impacted by that. The second thing, and I just, I want to give a shout out. I don't know if our friends from Lori are on here or not, but if you were at the East Baton Rouge library on Sunday, Lori did the most amazing voter engagement I have ever seen in my entire life. They had fire dancers. They had tango instructors. It was beyond awesome. But my point to everybody is yes, we have an election on the 4th. But we have an election after that election, and we have an election after that election. And so voter engagement needs to be 365 days a year, all the time, everybody, families, friends, all the time. And it's really critical that we tell people that even if they can't vote on the fourth, they can still vote on the fifth, they can still vote. And that's really important. And then the last thing is Casey mentioned the Louisiana Book Fair, which is super awesome. But on Sunday at the Red Shoes, the absolutely amazing Professor Bell is doing the last segment of a three segment on juries and the book she's done. This is one of the most brilliant legal minds in our country, and I encourage everybody, if you get a chance, I believe it starts at two o'clock, but it is well worth the opportunity to hear the amazing work that Professor Bell has done on moving the needle on non unanimous juries and on the issues with disparities in juries. Fully encourage everybody to take a chance and enjoy that. And that's all I got. Thanks.
Tia: Thank you, Reverend Anderson. Anyone else? Hearing none, that will conclude today's call. I look forward to seeing you guys all on next week. Remember get to the polls on Tuesday and bring somebody with you. Ciao y'all. Thank y'all. Bye everyone.
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