Let Birth Detroit Care for you through your pregnancy and postpartum journey.
Midwifing Safe, Quality, Loving Care
ADVOCACY
Abortion is health care, and bodily autonomy is critical for keeping our communities safe. Communities of color have always organized to keep ourselves safe. We won’t back down. We will continue to fight for reproductive justice for everyone.
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We understand the gravity of this time and want to encourage those looking to get care, donate, and/or organize to choose Black, Indigenous, people of color-led organizations. Here are a few recommendations
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CITY
Birth Detroit provides safe, quality, loving midwifery care to all birthing people - regardless of ability to pay.
Call (313) 977-0962 for an appointment or donate here today.
mothering JUSTICE is a grassroots policy advocacy organization that provides mothers of color in America with the resources and tools to use their power to make equitable changes in policy.
iDecide Detroit is a network of teen-friendly reproductive health care providers that offer services like condoms, birth control, STI testing, and treatment. Call (313) 876-4319 for an appointment.
Detroit Abortion Clinic at Summit Women’s Health Center remains committed to supporting reproductive health through abortions, confidential pregnancy options and birth control counseling, on-site prenatal sign-up for insurance through the State of Michigan and complete contraception education and services.
REGIONAL
Midwest Action Coalition helps people traveling to, from, and within the Midwest access a safe, legal abortion with support in the following areas: travel coordination and costs, lodging, food, medicine, and emotional support.
NATIONAL
Abortion care network (ACN) is the national association for independent community-based, abortion care providers and their allies. Together ACN works to ensure the rights of all people to experience respectful, dignified abortion care.
National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) builds power to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.
For white folks, understanding white supremacy is crucial to turning the tide. This document Talking Points for White Women to talk about White Supremacy & Reproductive Justice in our communities from ProgressNow Colorado may be helpful.
Roe v. Wade
Birth Justice Community Conversation
Join us as we envision a better future for all birthing people at The State of Birth Justice gathering. During this event, we will discuss plans to take action on policies that promote a safer space for all birthing people in Michigan. The State of Birth Justice is a partnership between Birth Detroit, Elephant Circle, and Mothering Justice with the generous support of SisterSong. Click here to learn more
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The MI State of Birth Justice is a community coalition working to build urban-rural partnerships to increase access to midwifery care across the state of Michigan. Our purpose is to educate, inform, and engage our communities statewide in realizing Birth Justice.
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Michigan Momnibus package: the package would increase access to alternative birthing care throughout the state, such as birthing centers and midwives, while addressing systemic racism to improve outcomes for Black mothers.
The Birth Center Bill has successfully passed out of committee, and we are so grateful for your support! Now, it's on to the House. The Michigan Momnibus bill package passed the Senate and is on it's way to the House of Representatives. We need your help! Please call or email your House Representative to express your support for HB 5636 and the Michigan Momnibus bill package. Your voice can make a difference—thank you!​
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TAKE THESE STEPS TO HELP
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Find your House Representative & Senator
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Copy and paste our sample email and fill in the blanks
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Send the email to your House Representative & Senator
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CALL your State Representative and Senator to express your support for HB 5636.
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Share our CALL TO ACTION with family, friends, and anyone who cares about perinatal health disparities and equity​
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FACTS about HB 5636:
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The Birth Center Bill is a community-based initiative. Michigan State of Birth Justice is a state-wide coalition that includes members in rural, suburban, and urban communities. Forming the Birth Center Bill has been a collaborative process from the start, which included: Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) and Licensed Midwives (LMs); the presidents of both midwifery Associations The Michigan Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and Michigan Midwives Association; birth center owners; and diverse community birth stakeholders from all parts of the state.
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The Birth Center Bill was created to address the needs of families and midwives in Michigan who want more access to birth centers. The fact that 30% of counties in MI are rural and that there are obstetric deserts throughout the state were driving forces behind this bill.
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The states with the most birth centers are also states that have had birth center licensure the longest and have Medicaid reimbursement for birth centers. This bill aims to decrease hardships by increasing families’ access to midwifery care - especially those most impacted by perinatal health inequities. Increased access for families also supports birth center sustainability.
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Medicaid requires birth centers to be licensed for reimbursement. This bill will help birth centers open and stay open.
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Learn more about HB 5636 here.
Learn more about birth center licensure and regulations here.​​
Birth Justice Agenda
Birth justice is the human right to a safe and respectful birth experience. This includes our rights to bodily autonomy, the power to make choices, and access to midwifery care. Birth Detroit believes that all people deserve access to all safe birth options. Our mission is to midwife safe, quality, loving care through pregnancy birth and beyond. We envision a world where birth is safe, sacred, loving and celebrated for everyone.
Our values are Safety, Love, Trust and Justice.
Keep Parents and Newborns Together in Critical Hours after Birth
Birth Detroit and Black Mothers Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA) believe that parents and newborns should not be separated and the risk of COVID-19 infection should be minimized in ways that support bonding and attachment. Despite recent guidance from national and international public health organizations, some Metro Detroit hospitals are separating people who test positive for COVID-19 from their babies immediately after birth. This means people are not being allowed to have skin-to-skin contact with and breastfeed their newborn babies in the critical first hours after birth. It also costs health systems more money to provide nursing care for the infants who are separated.
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