Equity Statement: A Commitment to Oregon Families
We’re posting our Equity Statement because OMF’s mission is to support midwives and birthing families in Oregon. We believe that we cannot fulfill our mission without acknowledging that racism and other forms of oppression affect our communities across the state. To support Oregonians fully means to be actively working against systemic iniquity.
The maternity care system in the United States is inadequate, and no where is that more clear than for Black and Indigenous populations. Even in Oregon, Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native babies have higher rates of low birth weight and preterm birth. The following chart was made from Vital Statistics Data for 2015-2017( found here).
| Data from Oregon Vital Statistics, 2015-2017 | ||||||
| White | Black | American Indian/Alaskan Native | Asian | Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | Multiple | |
| Low Birth Weight (per 100) | 6.26 | 9.70 | 7.00 | 8.26 | 9.03 | 7.01 |
| Preterm babies (per 100) | 7.63 | 9.73 | 11.14 | 7.54 | 12.67 | 8.51 |
| Babies born Out-of-Hospital (per 100) | 4.77 | 1.85 | 3.24 | 1.11 | 0.66 | 3.24 |
-Negative outcomes for Hispanic people are also higher than the for white people, but due to the nature of data collection for these statistics, Hispanic is considered an ethnicity, distinct from race, and so those births are dispersed between the races listed here. As such, it isn’t as clear of a comparison as for other groups, and so that data has not been included here.
It is clear that there the health disparities happening across the US are also happening in Oregon. It is also evident that white people are accessing Community birth* at higher rates than other races.
We at OMF believe that midwifery care can be a part of the solution to improving maternity care.
Our commitments to equity
- Anti-racism educational materials are available to all our board members and volunteers, and they are encouraged to engage in anti-racism learning.
- As we write and revise our policies, we do so purposefully using an anti-racist perspective.
- Our next project is focused on supporting BIPOC* midwives across Oregon.
- We amplify the work of other individuals and organizations doing work that aligns with ours.
- We spotlight the work of BIPOC midwives and student midwives across Oregon.