The Skanner News – “Momnibus” Bills To Fund Prenatal And Postpartum Support Would Help Black Women, Legislators Say

A package of bills introduced Tuesday in Salem kick off what is being called the “Momnibus 2025 Initiative” to address maternal and infant health in Oregon, with a focus on reaching BIPOC families. 

Sen. Lisa Reynolds (D-Beaverton), a physician, and Rep. Dacia Grayber (D-Portland) are chief sponsors of senate bills 691, 692, 693, which would provide greater access to maternal and infant health resources that promote well-being and enable bonding: lactation consultants, birth doulas and postpartum depression treatment and postpartum support, among other services. 

“By expanding access to these critical services, this bill helps new mothers take care of their own well-being so they can best support the health and development of their children,” Ben Gurewitz, public policy advocate at Disability Rights Oregon, said in submitted testimony in advance of Tuesday’s public hearing. 

The first package of bills would direct the Oregon Health Authority to allocate funds to maternal and neonatal support services under the direction of the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), require health insurers to cover natal and postnatal doula and lactation support, specifically from “culturally specific perinatal services and culturally competent perinatal services provider,” form a community-based perinatal provider access program and establish the Task Force on the Perinatal Workforce. 

Part two of the initiative will introduce two bills to reduce child poverty, and will have a public hearing next week before the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health.

Confronting The Need

Black women suffer the highest rates of maternal death in the U.S.: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than White women.

In 2023, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported a significant rise in postpartum depression among all racial groups between 2010 and 2021. Among Black patients, the increase was 140%, meaning 22% of Black women will experience postpartum depression. This increase was second only to Asian and Pacific Islanders, who saw a 280% increase. For comparison, White patients experienced an increase of 60%. The report did not identify contributing factors to the across-the-board surge in postpartum rates. 

Psychologist Jessica Beeghly, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at OHSU, submitted testimony about the importance of doulas, who provide physical and emotional support to women before, during and in the months after birth. Although they often assist in home births, they also provide aid in hospital settings. 

“As a psychologist working within the Reproductive Psychiatry Division, I have seen firsthand the devastating impact birth trauma can have on birthing people,” Beeghly said. “For many, birth is an experience of fear, loss of control, and emotional distress…

“Doulas offer a unique and nonjudgmental form of emotional support during birth—helping families navigate unexpected changes in their birth plan, providing reassurance, and creating space for processing the experience. For those who have experienced trauma, doulas offer a safe, empathetic presence that supports healing.”

On average, a new mother in the U.S. has one follow-up doctor’s visit after giving birth. According to the CDC, 30% of pregnancy related deaths occur between six weeks to a year after birth – and more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. 

Doulas can help support health and well-being in that critical first year, advocates point out.  

“The critical role doulas play doesn’t end with birth,” Beeghly said. “One in five birthing people suffer from postpartum depression—a condition often caused by lack of sleep, isolation, and inadequate support. In my own clinical practice, I regularly recommend sleep as a primary intervention for my patients suffering from postpartum depression. Overnight doula care is one of the most effective ways to provide this support, offering parents the opportunity to sleep while knowing that a trained professional is tending to their babies.”

Doula services remain something of a luxury that few insurance providers cover, making them inaccessible to many expecting parents. 

“By extending postpartum doula services for up to one year, Oregon can lead the nation in advancing holistic, compassionate care for birthing people and their families,” Beeghly said. 

‘Unequal Access To Power’

For many in the field of perinatal and postnatal care, the “Momnibus” is personal. Tina Moe, a board member at Baby Blues Connection who holds a masters in public health, described herself as a “survivor of obstetric violence.”

“My mother suffered severe, untreated postpartum depression in the 1980s, a time when mental health was not adequately addressed,” Moe said in her testimony. “Raised in a home marked by mental health challenges and an abusive father, I became a statistic of a system that failed to support maternal mental health.”

Moe, stepmother to a young child, admitted she feared having a similar experience to her mother’s if she were to give birth. 

“Sharing my vulnerable story is crucial because it underscores that perinatal mood and anxiety disorders do not discriminate,” Moe said. “The provisions in the Momnibus Bill, specifically SB 692, could have saved the fractured bond between my mother and me, a casualty of systemic failures in birth practices.”

Silke Akerson, executive director of the Oregon Perinatal Collaborative, testified to the economic advantages of public investment in the earliest stages of life. She pointed to the Heckman Curve, conceived by economist and Nobel laureate James Heckman.. 

“Investment in our perinatal workforce is cost-effective and cannot wait,” Akerson said. “The Heckman Curve shows that interventions during pregnancy and the first year of life are the most impactful for improving the health of our population.”

Hilary Nichols, a community organizer at a community health clinic in Southeast Portland, testified that creating the task force would go far to mitigate health inequality.

“This core issue is unequal access to power,” Nichols said. “Those with lived expertise of an issue often lack decision-making authority in policies, funding, and public narratives that directly affect them. The problem is not just exclusion but the absence of impacted individuals in leadership roles where key decisions are made. Addressing this requires creating programs that cultivate leadership and intentionally place community members in decision-making spaces, ensuring that those most affected have a real seat at the table.”