IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 603 

Supporting the ideals of Bump Day, a global day of maternal health awareness, action and advocacy, and reaffirming United States leadership 

to end preventable maternal deaths in the United States and globally. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 19, 2023 

Ms. HOULAHAN (for herself, Mrs. KIM of California, and Ms. KELLY of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the ideals of Bump Day, a global day of maternal 

health awareness, action and advocacy, and reaffirming 

United States leadership to end preventable maternal 

deaths in the United States and globally. 

Whereas Bump Day, an annual global campaign that celebrates beautiful bumps and healthy pregnancies while 

raising awareness about and calling for action to address 

the urgent need for better, more accessible, more respectful, and more responsive maternal health care, promoting 

healthy pregnancies, safe births, and healthy babies in 

the United States and around the world; 

Whereas the World Health Organization estimates approximately 810 women die from preventable causes related to 

pregnancy and childbirth every day around the world; 


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Whereas 80 percent of all maternal deaths in the United 

States and worldwide are preventable; 

Whereas over 700 women in the United States die each year 

from pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications and 

about 70,000 women suffer near-fatal complications or 

serious lifelong health-consequences, including permanent 

disability; 

Whereas women in the United States are more likely to die 

from childbirth or pregnancy-related complications than 

women in all other high-income countries, and the United 

States is the only high-income nation in the world where 

maternal mortality is currently increasing; 

Whereas 1 in 5 deliveries globally happen without the presence of a skilled birth attendant; 

Whereas 1 in 7 infants in the United States are born to a 

woman receiving inadequate prenatal care; 

Whereas pregnant women who do not receive prenatal care 

during pregnancy in the United States are 3 to 4 times 

more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications; 

Whereas Black and American Indian/Alaska Native women in 

the United States are 2 to 3 times more likely to die 

from pregnancy-related causes compared to White 

women; 

Whereas, according to data from the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention, the maternal mortality rate for 

Hispanic women surged during the COVID–19 pandemic, 

surpassing that for White women for the first time in 

more than a decade; 

Whereas risks to moms in the United States and globally 

have risen even higher due to widening gaps in maternal 

health care during the COVID–19 pandemic, as well as 


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due to serious pregnancy risks associated with maternal 

COVID–19 infection; 

Whereas proper preconception management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and periodontal disease can reduce the risk of serious pregnancy complications for both a mom and her baby; 

Whereas nearly half of all maternal deaths occur in the immediate postpartum period, with 21 percent occurring between 1 and 6 weeks postpartum, and 12 percent during 

the remaining portion of the postpartum year, and most 

of these deaths could be prevented with increased access 

to postpartum care; 

Whereas 1 in 5 women in the United States experience 

perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD), with suicide being a leading cause of preventable maternal 

deaths, and untreated PMADs cost the United States 

$14,200,000,000 annually; 

Whereas intimate partner violence (IPV) is a leading cause 

of maternal death, and women are more likely to experience IPV during pregnancy than at any other time in 

their lives; 

Whereas IPV during pregnancy and postpartum crosses every 

demographic and has been exacerbated by the COVID– 

19 pandemic; 

Whereas doula support has been shown to improve pregnancy, birth, and postpartum outcomes, lower pregnancyand childbirth-related costs by lowering rates of cesarean 

birth, epidural anesthesia, and other interventions, and 

reduce the impact of racial bias on pregnant and 

postpartum women of color; 


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Whereas incarcerated pregnant and postpartum women face 

heightened risks for maternal mortality and complications, as well as maternal mood disorders, and should be 

provided the highest standard of care; 

Whereas the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity in 

rural and other underserved areas in the United States 

is disproportionately high due to challenges in accessing 

the comprehensive, affordable, quality maternal health 

care that all moms deserve; 

Whereas more than half of all rural counties in the United 

States do not have access to hospital-based obstetric services; 

Whereas increasing access to broadband, telehealth, and mobile maternity care could improve maternal outcomes; 

Whereas awareness of urgent maternal warning signs and 

symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum and prompt 

diagnosis and treatment can prevent mortality and morbidity; 

Whereas every expectant mom deserves the respectful, responsive care and support she needs to deliver a safe 

pregnancy, healthy birth, and healthy future to herself 

and her baby; and 

Whereas Wednesday, July 19, 2023, and all subsequent third 

Wednesdays in July would be an appropriate annual day 

for the celebration of ‘‘Bump Day’’: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) celebrates Bump Day’s goal of raising 

3 awareness about the need for improved maternal 


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1 health care in the United States and globally, and 

2 of ending all preventable maternal deaths; 

3 (2) recognizes the critical role of health work4 ers, including obstetricians, midwives, mental health 

5 providers, and doulas in achieving safe, healthy 

6 pregnancies and deliveries in the United States and 

7 globally; 

8 (3) recognizes the benefits of evidence-based 

9 group prenatal and postpartum care approaches; 

10 (4) recognizes the role of fathers and other 

11 partners in supporting healthy pregnancies, safe 

12 births, and healthy babies, improving health out13 comes for mother and baby, as well as initiation and 

14 success of breastfeeding; and 

15 (5) reaffirms continued leadership by the 

16 United States to combat preventable maternal 

17 deaths in the United States and globally. 

Æ 


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