84% of maternal deaths are preventable: Why we’re failing America’s moms

This Mother’s Day, families will gather around tables to celebrate the women who give life, nurture it, and sacrifice daily for their children. As a mom and grandmother, it’s a day I look forward to spending with my family.

But this celebration belies a disturbing fact: far too many mothers in the United States die after childbirth. Maternal mortality has more than doubled since 1980, with America currently leading the developed world in maternal deaths. In Black and Native American communities, mothers are at the highest risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. These women are not just statistics: they are women created in the image of God.

This crisis is even more prevalent in Louisiana. Our state is one of the worst in the country for maternal health outcomes. In many rural areas, mothers must drive for hours to reach the nearest hospital with a labor and delivery unit. Often, they come home without any support, forced to navigate physical complications, exhaustion, and the silent agony of postpartum depression.

Many mistakenly believe that most maternal deaths occur during pregnancy or in the delivery room. In reality, nearly 65% of maternal deaths happen after childbirth — often weeks or months later — when medical follow-ups stop, and support is minimal. But this isn’t a policy failure. It is a human one unfolding in our very own families, communities, and churches.

According to Maternal Mortality Review Committees, an estimated 84% of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable. And that’s why efforts like the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America initiative, spearheaded by Heartland Forward’s Maternal & Child Health Center for Policy & Practice, are so important. Aiming to reduce maternal mortality by half in five years, it provides a pragmatic vision for the future, particularly for Louisiana’s rural communities. The initiative proposes expanding prenatal care, ensuring a postpartum check-in within two weeks with mental health screenings, increasing the number of doulas, midwives, and community health workers, particularly in rural areas, reopening labor and delivery units in remote areas, and reforming Medicaid reimbursement.

As a Christian, I know that government policies alone are not the answer, which is why I signed an open letter calling on people of faith to increase support for mothers in their communities. The body of Christ must rise to the occasion because we are the hands and feet of Jesus. We must be ready to step in during this crucial time after birth with emotional, physical, and spiritual support. 

There is always room for one more chair at our family’s table. Gathering there taught us something simple: families are strongest when everyone shows up for one another. Too many mothers in America never make it safely back to that table after childbirth, and too many tables this year will have an empty seat. If we truly value family, then supporting mothers before, during, and after birth should be one of our clearest priorities.