Massachusetts Governor Proposes Enhanced Postpartum Care Following High-Profile Trial

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced on Tuesday a proposal to enhance postpartum healthcare and support for new parents across the state, a move that follows the widely publicized murder trial of Lindsay Clancy. The governor aims to provide free home visits by nurses to all families with newborns and to update regulations for mental health screenings for new mothers.

"To every mom who has struggled with her mental health before, during or after pregnancy, I want you to know we see you — I see you," Healey stated during a visit to Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She emphasized the need for more open discussion about maternal mental health, referencing a maternal health law she signed in 2024 that expanded access to doulas, midwives, and birth centers, and mandated insurers cover postpartum depression screenings.

Healey, a Democrat, intends to seek $2 million from state lawmakers for a program offering home visits to all of the approximately 68,000 newborns welcomed in Massachusetts annually. While participation would be voluntary, these visits would allow nurses to address parental questions about infant care, including feeding and sleep, and to monitor maternal postpartum health, screening for mental health concerns like depression.

This initiative would mark the first state investment in a federally funded program that currently serves around 3,000 families each year. Additionally, Healey proposed a $250,000 allocation to the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms and directed the Department of Public Health to revise state regulations for perinatal mental health screenings.

"Giving birth can be one of life’s most joyous experiences, but it’s also one of the most challenging," Healey commented. "For new mothers, it can be exhausting, isolating and overwhelming."

The push for improved maternal care comes in the wake of the Lindsay Clancy case. Clancy's attorneys argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed her three children in 2023 and subsequently attempted suicide, leaving her paralyzed. Prosecutors contended she was aware her actions were wrong. A mistrial was declared in September 2026 when the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Data from the state's maternal mortality review committee indicates that mental illness, including substance use disorders, was the leading underlying cause of death for pregnant women and new mothers in Massachusetts between 2019 and 2024, accounting for 38% of fatalities. The committee also found that 85% of these deaths were preventable, with over half occurring between seven days and one year after childbirth.

Massachusetts has a history of leading in healthcare access, with its 2006 health care law serving as a model for aspects of the federal Affordable Care Act. However, gaps in maternal care persist, particularly concerning postpartum mental health.