Washington, D.C. — Extreme heat has detrimental impacts on all human health, but for pregnant people, the risks are even greater. Research shows that exposure to extreme heat throughout pregnancy can increase a woman’s risk of severe maternal morbidity by 27 percent—and by 28 percent in the third trimester alone. A new report from the Center for American Progress explains how the rise of extreme heat has created a compounding and detrimental effect on the growing U.S. maternal health crisis and what state, federal, and local policymakers can do to mitigate the risks.
The report examines the adverse maternal health impacts of extreme heat, including the risk of severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality; spotlights states that are strengthening support for vulnerable communities during extreme heat; and offers actions that can be taken at the state, federal, and local level to mitigate the impacts of extreme heat for pregnant people.
Some of the report’s recommendations include:
- State policymakers should increase access to indoor home cooling for pregnant people by expanding Medicaid coverage for cooling technologies. To ensure pregnant people can afford to utilize these technologies, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should update its guidance that identifies at-risk populations for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to explicitly identify pregnant people as an at-risk population and urge states to target outreach to pregnant household members.
- Congress should pass the Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act, which would establish federal grants for community-based organizations to address the maternal health risks associated with climate change.
- Congress and federal policymakers should protect pregnant workers by accelerating the development of a federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace heat standard.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should appoint a reproductive justice expert in its Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights to help institutionalize a reproductive justice framework within the federal government’s environmental justice agenda.
“As heat waves become more intense and more common, we cannot stand idly by while the health and safety of pregnant people is at risk,” said Amina Khalique, research associate with the Women’s Initiative at CAP. “Now is the time for policymakers at the federal, state, and local level to take action to strengthen support against extreme heat to better support the health and safety of some of our most vulnerable populations.”
Read the report: “Rising Extreme Heat Compounds the U.S. Maternal Health Crisis” by Amina Khalique
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Jasmine Razeghi at [email protected].