Democratic and Republican Governors Discuss Maternal Health and Abortion on Meet the Press

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appeared together on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday alongside Olivia Walton, founder of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America. The interview, which also aired Sunday, focused on maternal health initiatives in their states.

Sanders, who has three children, said she raised concerns about maternal health in Arkansas after she became governor because the state consistently ranked among the worst in maternal mortality rates. She convened a strategic working group to identify ways to improve maternal health outcomes throughout the state.

” She added that people who actively campaigned against her were some of the most helpful in developing the state’s strategic plan on maternal health.

“That breaks down a lot of walls,” Sanders said. “Everybody knows a mom. ” The working group led Sanders to introduce the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act. Arkansas also launched the Proactive Postpartum Call Center run through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, which calls women in their first six weeks postpartum to ask and answer questions about physical and mental health.

Walton highlighted the importance of postpartum care. She said two-thirds of maternal mortality happens after the baby is born, after the mother has left the hospital. “Forty percent of moms don’t go back for any checkup,” Walton said.

She described home visits by a nurse within the first two weeks as the gold standard for postpartum care. ” Moore described Maryland’s Bridge Program, which provides low-income mothers with direct monetary assistance. The program will provide cash assistance to 150 families in areas of concentrated poverty.

“It is something that’s going to focus on providing cash assistance to mothers who are both prenatal and then postnatal mothers,” Moore said. He added that supporting maternal health helps address childhood poverty. The two governors, from opposing political parties, discussed how their views on abortion affect their maternal health approaches.

Sanders said she is unapologetically pro-life and that Arkansas is one of the most pro-life states in the country. ” Moore said he respectfully disagrees with the overturning of Roe v.

Wade. Maryland voters enshrined the right to abortion access in the state constitution last year. Nbc News reported that both governors agreed on the need to support services for children, including adoption and foster care.