Help Women and Children in America's Poorest State

by Dorothee Royal-Hedinger · 2009-04-09 14:59:00 UTC
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According to a 2007 report by the United States Census Bureau, Mississippi is the poorest state in the country. With a median household income of only $36,338 and the highest infant mortality rate in the nation, you would think the Governor of Mississippi would be eager to accept a government stimulus package during these hard economic times.

However, Governor Haley Barbour has publicly threatened to reject money included in the recent stimulus bill that will extend and expand unemployment insurance benefits. These benefits will help thousands of Mississippians, including part-time workers.

To give you more perspective on this issue, here are some statistics that Real Women Real Voices highlighted about poverty in the region,

  • Mississippi has the highest percentage of children living in poverty at almost 3 in 10 (the national rate is 1 in 6). The vast majority of Mississippi families living in poverty are working families.

  • Of all babies born in Mississippi in 2007, 477 or 10.3 per thousand newborns died. Mississippi also has one of highest rates of low-birth weight babies in the nation.

  • Maternal deaths resulting from complications of pregnancy and childbirth are also among the highest in the nation. Mississippi’s has an overall maternal death rate of 21.5 per 100,000 live births. The maternal death rate for black mothers is almost three times the rate for white mothers.

As Jen mentioned in a recent post about how the financial fallout is effecting women, it's clear that we need to make sure women and vulnerable populations aren't short-changed when it comes to the stimulus money. Especially when it seems that politicians are putting partisan politics before people's lives, we need to stand up for those in need.

The Mississippi Center for Justice has started a petition campaign called Standing With Mississippi which urges people across the country to tell Governor Barbour to put the needs of 39,600  hardworking families first. You can sign the petition and get more information about this issue here.

Dorothee Royal-Hedinger
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