Pregnancy & Birth Justice

Birth justice is a movement led by reproductive justice advocates and organizations such as  Black Women’s Birth Justice, Southern Birth Justice Network and SisterSong. The United States has a long history of reproductive oppression against Black, Indigenous, Latina and other communities of color. Birth justice seeks to center culturally competent, inclusive care that honor the practices of centuries of birth workers, including doulas and midwives.

These model bills seek to center the autonomy of birthing people to make healthcare decisions for themselves and their families that best meet their needs. This includes access healthcare when trying to conceive, during all stages of pregnancy and post-birth.

For example, despite significant advances to fertility treatments, such as egg freezing and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), access to and affordability of this care is severely lacking in the United States. Fertility treatments can be cost prohibitive, mainly because they are not often covered by health insurance plans. Because of the lack of private, state, and federal coverage, some states have passed legislation that provides some insurance coverage for fertility treatments.

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This policy agenda includes model legislation and resources to improve access to reproductive healthcare. We urge legislators to use the models as a starting point and to work closely with state advocates and community members to craft solutions specific to your state’s needs. Each policy includes strategic recommendations and sample language tailored for different audiences. 

Have questions or want  to partner with SIX on crafting additions to the policy agenda? Email us at reproductiverights@stateinnovation.org.