Virginia Chooses Science Over Politics When It Comes to Maternal Health

Maternal deaths are a tragedy that some bad actors try to exploit for political gain. Thankfully, Virginia is charting a different course. An executive order just issued by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) offers promise for identifying and remedying real issues in maternal health without resorting to unscientific race-baiting. 

Executive Order 32 reestablishes the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures. The task force is charged with collecting and monitoring maternal health data and issuing recommendations to identify and remedy deficits in the provision of care.  

The executive order comes months after Gov. Youngkin vetoed Senate Bill 35, which would have required unscientific implicit bias training for medical professionals who work with expecting or recent mothers. The message is clear: Virginia won’t abide woke nonsense that only creates division and resentment, and instead favors an initiative that holds real promise for helping mothers and moms-to-be. 

Unfortunately, when it comes to maternal health, race-baiting claptrap is often the norm over reason and science. In North Carolina, for example, the Maternal Mortality Review Committee determines whether “discrimination” is a factor in each maternal death, and specifically whether a “birthing person” was discriminated against due to “group, class, or category.” These are in fact impossible determinations, and simply hunches masquerading as science. More importantly, the process is a Trojan Horse for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the North Carolina Committee unsurprisingly recommends a suite of DEI initiatives to remedy all the supposed discrimination occurring against Tar Heel mothers.   

Each maternal death is a profound tragedy. Hopefully, through reason, depoliticized inquiry, and genuine passion for improving maternal health, Virginia can illuminate a path toward reform without devolving into tired and anti-intellectual orthodoxies.