Davis Bill Addressing Maternal Health Disparities Now Law

CHICAGO —State Rep. Lisa Davis, D-Chicago, backed a measure that will improve outcomes for moms and babies of all backgrounds by mandating enhanced training for maternal health care professionals such as doctors, midwives and doulas.

“Too often, complaints and other concerns from moms of color and other disadvantaged backgrounds are ignored, not out of malice but a lack of understanding,” said Davis. “This bill will save lives by encouraging our health care workers to unpack assumptions and truly take a patient-first approach that is free from unconscious bias and a reliance on ecological fallacies.”

Davis’ House Bill 2715 directs the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to develop and implement a directive that will ensure all maternal healthcare professionals receive training on implicit bias. The bill will address longstanding disparities in outcomes between mothers of different racial backgrounds. One disparity has been dubbed the Black Maternal Health Crisis, because Black mothers are at higher risk of death, stillbirth and other serious complications during pregnancy in comparison to their white counterparts.

House Bill 2517 passed the House with bipartisan support and was recently signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker.