Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Panel A Step Forward—But Not the Finish Line
- Zakiya Summers
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
I proudly co-sponsored House Bill 1637 because I believe Mississippi must take intentional, data-driven steps to reduce infant mortality. The creation of a Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Panel is an important and necessary step toward understanding why too many of our babies are dying too soon.
But understanding the problem is only the beginning.
My position remains clear: if we are serious about healthy babies, we must be equally serious about healthy mothers. While HB 1637 moves us forward, it does not yet go far enough to meet the urgency of this moment.
Mississippi continues to face one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation, with persistent disparities impacting Black families and rural communities. We cannot afford to study this crisis without building a system that actively responds to it.
That is why I offered amendments to the conference committee to strengthen this bill and ensure it leads to real outcomes—not just reports. My proposed improvements focused on turning data into action:
Requiring an annual maternal and infant health improvement plan with clear strategies and accountability
Strengthening data transparency, including disaggregation by race, geography, and payer source
Identifying whether deaths are preventable or potentially preventable, along with contributing systemic factors
Providing public-facing reports so families and communities understand what is happening and why
Aligning this work with existing maternal mortality efforts to address the full continuum of care
Evaluating rural access and emergency response systems, where gaps often cost lives
Elevating community-based voices, including doulas and community health workers
Connecting findings directly to targeted investments that improve outcomes
These are practical, evidence-based steps that would move Mississippi from awareness to action. Because the truth is this: infant mortality does not begin at birth. It is shaped by maternal health, access to care, systemic inequities, and the conditions in which families live, work, and receive care. If we fail to address maternal health, we will continue to see preventable infant deaths.
HB 1637 is a meaningful start, and I commend my colleagues for recognizing the urgency of this issue but our work is not done. We must build on this foundation with policies that support mothers before, during, and after pregnancy—policies that invest in care, expand access, strengthen our workforce, and center the lived experiences of the families most impacted.
Saving babies means saving mothers too, and that work cannot wait.
