Latest news with #Mama'sMarch
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Michigan moms call attention to threats to Medicaid and health care during annual ‘Mama's March'
Moms and their kids line up for a picture on the Michigan State Capitol Building steps after the annual "Mama's March" on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Waving back at her young daughters in the crowd, Lansing-area birth and postpartum doula Kendra Smith told attendees of the annual 'Mama's March' outside the Michigan State Capitol Wednesday that in order to promote healthy families, Medicaid and systems of support need to be preserved. There's a lot of concern from different advocacy and service groups at the moment as Republicans in Congress have floated proposals for cutting hundreds of billions of dollars to Medicaid which funds services and care for individuals who have low incomes or disabilities. Medicaid is not a line item easily crossed out without grave repercussions, Smith said. Medicaid often means the difference between a mother going to a postpartum check-up appointment to determine if she needs medical attention, or not going to that check-up appointment, Smith said, adding that those appointments provide access to prenatal vitamins, lactation support and birth in a hospital. 'For Black and brown moms who are already navigating higher risk and barriers, Medicaid often makes the difference between life and death, and that's not hyperbole. That's reality,' Smith said. National data reflects that Black women are more than twice as likely to die from pregancy-related causes than their white counterparts and Michigan state data reflects the same reality where Black mothers were nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white mothers. In order to comply with the spending plans and priorities of President Donald Trump's administration, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which regulates Medicaid amongst other governernment programs, is currently looking at how to save $880 billion, with Medicaid on the chopping block. For the last decade, typically more than 40% of births in Michigan have been funded, at least in-part, through Medicaid programs, according to reporting from the Michigan League for Public Policy. Medicaid provides care to those most vulnerable in Michigan, who might not have access to quality housing, nutrition or prenatal or postnatal educational resources, Smith said. Attendees listen to speakers at the annual "Mama's March" outside the Michigan Capitol Building on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Attendees listen to speakers at the annual "Mama's March" outside the Michigan Capitol Building on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Bridget Leonard, a Michigan-based nurse, speaks at the annual "Mama's March" outside the Michigan Capitol Building on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Moms and their kids line up for a picture on the Michigan State Capitol Building steps after the annual "Mama's March" on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols 'So when that funding is cut, we're not pulling access, we're pulling care from the very families that need it most. We're making it harder to close the gap and easier for preventable tragedies to continue,' Smith said. 'I'm asking you to stay loud, call your lawmakers, share your stories and fight for your families, because every parent deserves to be helped. Every child deserves to be born into a system that's ready to care for them, not cut them loose.' As the approximately 100 attendees headed off to seek out state lawmakers to urge preservation of Medicaid-funded services, Aisha Wells, deputy director of organizing for Mothering Justice, which sponsored the rally, told the Michigan Advance that she hopes state lawmakers in the predominately white Legislature remember their districts all have moms and people of color and residents who rely on Medicaid. As the mother of a teenage son and baby boy, Wells said she remembers not being listened to as a Black woman during her first pregnancy, dealing with doctors who shut down her concerns, but later determined her oldest son had obstructive congenital hydrocephalus which impacts the brain. And though mothers of color in the Michigan state Legislature like Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) and Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) are leading the charge in combating adverse health outcomes for moms of color, Wells said, all lawmakers should be fighting to preserve health care for families in their district. 'Everybody in your community is important. They matter. If one of us is being harmed, we're all being harmed,' Wells said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mothering Justice's Mama's March 2025 begins today at State Capitol
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)– Grassroots policy advocacy organization Mothering Justice has held marches for over a decade to champion mothers of color. Today at noon, they'll be at the state Capitol for Mama's March 2025. Organizers say the event is for everyone, even those who don't think they're affected. After the march, people will have the chance to stay for activities. Aisha Wells, the deputy director of campaigns, notes that the marches are important because people don't always realize that they have the power to compel change; lawmakers are elected officials who are accountable to their constituents and not the other way around. The Mama's March is typically held around this time of year in order to coincide with Mother's Day. Mothering Justice's advocacy agenda includes affordable child care, earned and/or paid sick time, and reproductive justice. These issues affect working parents and caregivers as well as moms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
