By Sarah Hodin Krinsky and Christina Gebel, Maternal Health Task Force, May 31, 2021
Much has happened since we wrote the first blog in this series, Expanding Access to Doula Care: State of the Union in January 2020—not only regarding policy, but also the maternal newborn health landscape more generally.
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in March 2020, we started seeing and hearing about hospitals across the country banning doulas from supporting clients during birth. In some cases, patients were forced to give birth alone without any support whatsoever. There were also reports of parents being forcibly separated from their newborns, against recommendations from the World Health Organization. Similar to other aspects of maternal newborn health, BIPOC birthing people have been disproportionately impacted by changes in policy and practice due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, several states introduced (or re-introduced) doula-related legislation, with varying language and levels of success. Now more than ever, given the threatened state of birth support during the pandemic and for the foreseeable future, passing effective, equitable doula legislation is imperative.
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