Essay
No matter who you are, where you come from, or your family dynamic. We all have a mother, which is who this bill is for. Bill HF3273 asks for the commissioner of health to expand the maternal death study to include maternal morbidity, maternal morbidity refers to any health problems that occur during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum that might have short term or long term consequences that affect the woman's health. We need the study to help the planning and implementation of medical and welfare services which would greatly decrease the number of women affected.
In Minnesota the maternal death rate is 10 in 100,000 live births which is lower than the national average but the approximate number of women who experience maternal morbidity is 3,000. So for every woman who experiences maternal death, 20 to 30 experience maternal morbidity which can affect and undermine their normal functions. Sometimes even resulting in the inability to give birth in the future or the overall fear of being pregnant or giving birth in the first place. These disparities are significantly more common in women of color, resulting in even less children.
Less children being born is the reason that Minnesota's birth rate is rapidly declining, since the pandemic the birth rate has gone down by 2 thousand children. This affects so much more than just the population. This affects the amount of children in school which affects the amount of teachers, which affects the amount of workers all around. Less students means less doctors, less construction workers, less taxpayers. This will also affect the infrastructure as we would not have enough money or workers to pay for roads being built, trash being picked up, or buildings being repaired. The Minnesota population is getting older and if this continues we would be in an economic hard place and we would be in a never ending cycle of rapid decline.
I personally think that expanding the study of maternal death to include maternal morbidity is the inevitable and smartest plan of action to increase Minnesota's birth rate and protect Minnesota's mothers. It would decrease our health care inequity and make our state wealthier. So I ask you to pass this bill not only to help us and our mothers but also the future mothers and children. This bill won't only push our state into an economic golden era but also keep our loved ones safe and alive. Thank you.