Lawmakers agree North Carolina has a maternal health crisis. So why are reforms stalling? (Reprint)

Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, and bias or discrimination was identified as a contributing factor in 70 percent of North Carolina maternal deaths, per the state's own 2024 review committee. Bills covering doula access, community support programs and programs to reduce infant mortality have been introduced repeatedly, but many never receive a hearing, largely as a result of lack of political will and funding disagreements.