According to the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a 501(c)(3) social change organization founded in 2011, the U.S. is failing mothers in a big way. The organization recently published its “2023 U.S. Maternal Mental Health State Report Cards,” a state-by-state grading of the country’s maternal mental health support. With only a single state managing to exceed a C+ grade, the U.S. earned an overall score of D. Georgia, like many other Southern states, earned the lowest grade possible.
To grade each state, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health investigated three domains of interest: providers and programs, screening and screening reimbursement, and insurance coverage and payment. Georgia received an F in two of three domains.
“The truth is that access to mental care in this country – specifically in states where abortion has been restricted – has been abysmal for a very long time,” Dr. Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, told CNN.
Many Southern states earned failing grades, with Georgia earned an F overall and a D in insurance coverage and payment.
“Seeking an abortion in this country at this time – particularly if you live in the Midwest and the South, and most certainly if you live in a ban state – is a moment of incredible anxiety,” she said. “Not necessarily because you need an abortion but because it is so difficult to do so.”
A total 40 of 50 states earned a grade of D or lower.
“Abortion has been a really critical tool for them to continue to manage mental health crises in their lives and to keep them healthy and safe,” Dr. McNicholas said.
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