Resources
Interested in learning more about the maternal health crisis in Tennessee? Check out the information below, and find additional resources to explore.
March of Dimes Report for TN
The March of Dimes releases an annual report card focused on maternal and infant health. The most recent report card for Tennessee highlights some concerning statistics, including:
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Tennessee's maternal mortality rate is 42.1 per 100,000 births — roughly 80% higher than the national average
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Maternal mortality is defined as the rate of death from complications of pregnancy or childbirth that occur during pregnancy or within six weeks after the pregnancy ends
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17.7% of Tennessee mothers receive inadequate prenatal care
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Tennessee's infant mortality rate is 6.5 per 100,000 births — higher than the national average of 5.6
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These outcomes are often worse for people of color, underscoring how systemic inequities impact health outcomes
Tennessee is only implementing 2 of the 6 policies and programs outlined by the report as ways to improve maternal and infant health. That means there are real steps Tennessee can take to improve outcomes for our mothers, babies, and families.
Why is TN's Maternal Mortality Rate So High?
Many factors are contributing Tennessee's high maternal mortality rate, including:
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Lack of access to prenatal and postpartum care
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Lack of access to mental healthcare
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Bias and systemic inequities
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Refusal to expand Medicaid
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One of the nation's strictest abortion bans
We'll discuss several of these in more detail below.
Too Many Women Can't Get the Care They Need
Prenatal and postpartum care saves lives. But for far too many Tennessee mothers, that care is simply out of reach — geographically, financially, and structurally.
Only 73.2% of Tennessee mothers begin prenatal care in their first trimester. That gap has consequences. Women who don't receive prenatal care face a 5x higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes.
The barriers are real and systemic:
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1 in 3 Tennessee counties is a maternity care desert — meaning no hospital, no birth center, and no OB clinicians.
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34 of Tennessee's 95 counties have no birthing center at all.
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More than 1 in 4 Tennessee women have no birthing hospital within 30 minutes of their home.
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9 rural Tennessee hospitals are at critical risk of closure.
For women in rural communities, getting care during pregnancy can mean hours of driving — which is often challenging due to work schedules, time constraints, lack of childcare for existing children, and more.
Additionally, Tennessee is one of only 10 states that have not accepted Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Expansion would extend coverage to many adults who earn too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid but too little to afford marketplace insurance. Without Medicaid expansion, uninsured rates in states like Tennessee run nearly twice as high as in expansion states.
This coverage gap leaves many low-income women uninsured before pregnancy, reducing access to preventative care and treatment for conditions like substance use disorders and mental health issues. While the relationship between Medicaid non-expansion and maternal mortality involves many compounding factors, studies show that states that have expanded their Medicaid programs have lower maternal mortality rates than non-expansion states. Expanding Medicaid is also recommended in the March of Dimes report as a way to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
A System That Doesn't Protect Everyone Equally
Maternal mortality in Tennessee is not a crisis that affects all women equally. Race and discrimination play a devastating role.
According to Tennessee's 2022 Maternal Mortality Report, discrimination contributed to 33% of pregnancy-related deaths. Black women in Tennessee face a 3x higher risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes than white women — a disparity driven not by biology, but by systemic bias in how care is delivered, who is believed, and who receives timely intervention.
These are not inevitable statistics. They are the result of failures in how our healthcare system is built, who it was built for, and who it continues to leave behind.
One of the Strictest Abortion Bans in the Nation
Tennessee has one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the nation. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. There are no exceptions for minors. There are no exceptions for mental health disorders. There are no exceptions for fatal fetal anomalies, in which there is no chance of survival.
The consequences for maternal health are severe and wide-ranging. For instance, women in states with abortion bans are twice as likely to die during pregnancy than women in states without bans.
Tennessee's ban is creating a cascade of harm for patients, the healthcare system, and our community overall.
Effects on patients:
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Delays in emergency treatment for pregnancy complications
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Continuation of nonviable pregnancies with no medical alternative
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Difficulty obtaining medications that treat other serious conditions
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Delays in cancer treatment for pregnant patients
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Abortions happening later in pregnancy due to barriers to earlier access
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Increased rates of babies born with significant birth defects
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More people turning to permanent sterilization out of fear
Effects on the healthcare system:
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OB/GYNs and specialists leaving Tennessee
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Doctors retiring earlier than planned
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Difficulty recruiting medical students to Tennessee residency programs
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Declining ability to recruit physicians across all specialties
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Fewer providers available to treat complications statewide
Effects on our communities:
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Worsening maternal and infant mortality rates
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Declining birth rates
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Rising poverty and its downstream effects
In other words, the law is putting Tennesseeans at greater risk — while dismantling the medical infrastructure needed to care for them.
What Can We Do?
Change is possible — but it requires all of us.
You can make a difference by contacting your state representatives and urging them to support policies that expand maternal healthcare access, including Medicaid expansion and funding for rural hospitals. Attend town halls, ask candidates where they stand on maternal health, and vote for leaders who prioritize the lives of Tennessee mothers.
Support local organizations working on the ground to close care gaps and fight systemic inequity. And use your voice — share these facts with your community, because awareness drives action.
Tennessee's mothers deserve better, and together, we can demand it.
Additional Resources
To continue learning about reproductive health, maternal and infant health, and similar topics, consider exploring the following resources: