IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 332 
Supporting the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 2025, 
as the eighth annual ‘‘Black Maternal Health Week’’, founded by Black 
Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA), to bring national attention to 
the maternal and reproductive health crisis in the United States and 
the importance of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among 
Black women and birthing people. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 14, 2025 
Ms. ADAMS (for herself, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. BISHOP, Ms. 
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mrs. BEATTY, Mrs. 
WATSON COLEMAN, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. 
COHEN, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. MRVAN, Ms. MCCLELLAN, Mr. 
MORELLE, Ms. OMAR, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. 
SMITH of Washington, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. 
CLARKE of New York, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. MEEKS, 
Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mrs. SYKES, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. SE-
WELL, Ms. BROWN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. TONKO, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. BELL, Mrs. MCIVER, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. WILLIAMS of Geor-
gia, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. WILSON of Flor-
ida, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, 
Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mrs. TORRES of Cali-
fornia, Mr. KENNEDY of New York, and Mr. THANEDAR) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting the designation of the week of April 11 through 
April 17, 2025, as the eighth annual ‘‘Black Maternal 
Health Week’’, founded by Black Mamas Matter Alli-
ance, Inc. (BMMA), to bring national attention to the 
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maternal and reproductive health crisis in the United 
States and the importance of reducing maternal mor-
tality and morbidity among Black women and birthing 
people. 
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Black women in the United States are 2–3 
times more likely than White women to die from preg-
nancy-related causes; 
Whereas Black women and people living in low-income and 
rural communities in the United States suffer from life- 
threatening pregnancy complications, known as ‘‘mater-
nal morbidities’’, twice as often as White women; 
Whereas the maternal mortality rate in the United States— 
(1) is among the highest in the developed world; and 
(2) was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, 
32.9 in 2021, 22.3 in 2022, and 18.6 in 2023; 
Whereas the United States has the highest maternal mor-
tality rate among affluent countries, driven in part by 
systemic inequities in health care that disproportionately 
and unjustly affect Black women; 
Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, in 2023, the United States maternal mor-
tality rate decreased for White (14.5), Hispanic (12.4), 
and Asian (10.7) women but increased to 50.3 deaths per 
100,000 live births for Black women; 
Whereas Black women are 50 percent more likely than all 
other women to give birth to premature and low birth 
weight infants; 
Whereas the high rates of maternal mortality among Black 
women span across— 
(1) income levels; 
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(2) education levels; and 
(3) socioeconomic status; 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
found that more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related 
deaths in the United States are preventable; 
Whereas the leading causes of maternal mortality among 
Black women and birthing people include obstetric embo-
lism, obstetric hemorrhage, eclampsia and preeclampsia, 
and postpartum cardiomyopathy, and these conditions 
impact Black women and birthing people disproportion-
ately; 
Whereas Black mothers have the highest rate of cesarean sec-
tion deliveries; 
Whereas structural racism, gender oppression, and the social 
determinants of health inequities experienced by Black 
women in the United States significantly contribute to 
the disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality 
and morbidity among Black women; 
Whereas racism and discrimination play a consequential role 
in maternal health care experiences and outcomes of 
Black birthing people; 
Whereas the overturn of Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113 (1973)) 
impacts Black women and birthing people’s right to re-
productive health care and bodily autonomy and further 
perpetuates reproductive oppression as a tool to control 
women’s bodies; 
Whereas a fair and wide distribution of economic resources 
and birth options, especially regarding reproductive 
health care services and maternal health programming, 
including prenatal, postpartum, family planning, and 
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education programs, is critical to addressing inequities in 
maternal health outcomes; 
Whereas communities of color are disproportionately affected 
by maternity care deserts, where there are no or limited 
hospitals or birth centers offering obstetric care and no 
or limited obstetric providers, and have diminishing ac-
cess to reproductive health care due to low Medicaid re-
imbursements, rising costs, and ongoing staff shortages; 
Whereas Black midwives, doulas, perinatal health workers, 
and community-based organizations provide holistic ma-
ternal health care, but face systemic, structural, eco-
nomic, and legal barriers to licensure, reimbursement, 
and provision of care; 
Whereas Black women and birthing people experience in-
creased structural and financial barriers to accessing pre-
natal and postpartum care, including maternal mental 
health care; 
Whereas COVID–19, which has disproportionately harmed 
Black Americans, is associated with an increased risk for 
adverse pregnancy outcomes and maternal and neonatal 
complications; 
Whereas new data from the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention has indicated that since the COVID–19 pan-
demic, the maternal mortality rate for Black women has 
increased by 26 percent; 
Whereas Black pregnant women have historically low rates of 
vaccinations, which is associated with higher disparities 
in maternal health outcomes; 
Whereas, even as there is growing concern about improving 
access to mental health services, Black women are least 
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likely to have access to mental health screenings, treat-
ment, and support before, during, and after pregnancy; 
Whereas Black pregnant and postpartum workers are dis-
proportionately denied reasonable accommodations in the 
workplace, leading to adverse pregnancy outcomes; 
Whereas Black pregnant people disproportionately experience 
surveillance and punishment, including shackling incar-
cerated people in labor, drug testing mothers and infants 
without informed consent, separating mothers from their 
newborns, and criminalizing pregnancy outcomes such as 
miscarriage; 
Whereas Black women and birthing people experience perva-
sive racial injustice in the criminal justice, social, and 
health care systems; 
Whereas justice-informed, culturally congruent models of care 
are beneficial to Black women; and 
Whereas an investment must be made in— 
(1) maternity care for Black women and birthing 
people, including care led by the communities most af-
fected by the maternal health crisis in the United States; 
(2) continuous health insurance coverage to support 
Black women and birthing people for the full postpartum 
period at least 1 year after giving birth; and 
(3) policies that support and promote affordable, 
comprehensive, and holistic maternal health care that is 
free from gender and racial discrimination, regardless of 
incarceration: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog-
nizes that— 
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(1) Black women are experiencing high, dis-
proportionate rates of maternal mortality and mor-
bidity in the United States; 
(2) the alarmingly high rates of maternal mor-
tality among Black women are unacceptable and un-
just; 
(3) in order to better mitigate the effects of 
systemic and structural racism, Congress must work 
toward ensuring that the Black community has— 
(A) safe and affordable housing; 
(B) transportation equity; 
(C) nutritious food; 
(D) clean air and water; 
(E) environments free from toxins; 
(F) decriminalization, removal of civil pen-
alties, end of surveillance, and end of manda-
tory reporting within the criminal and family 
regulation system; 
(G) safety and freedom from violence, es-
pecially violence perpetrated by government ac-
tors; 
(H) a living wage; 
(I) equal economic opportunity; 
(J) a sustained and expansive workforce 
pipeline for diverse perinatal professionals; and 
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(K) comprehensive, high-quality, and af-
fordable health care including access to the full 
spectrum of reproductive care; 
(4) in order to improve maternal health out-
comes, Congress must fully support and encourage 
policies grounded in the human rights, reproductive 
justice, and birth justice frameworks that address 
maternal health inequities; 
(5) Black women and birthing people must be 
active participants in the policy decisions that im-
pact their lives; 
(6) in order to ensure access to safe and re-
spectful maternal health care for Black birthing peo-
ple, Congress must pass the Black Maternal Health 
Momnibus Act and other legislation rooted in human 
rights that seek to improve maternal care and out-
comes; and 
(7) ‘‘Black Maternal Health Week’’ is an oppor-
tunity to— 
(A) deepen the national conversation about 
Black maternal health in the United States; 
(B) amplify and invest in community-driv-
en policy, research, and quality care solutions; 
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(C) center the voices of Black Mamas Mat-
ter Alliance, inc., women, families, and stake-
holders; 
(D) provide a national platform for Black- 
led entities and efforts on maternal and mental 
health, birth equity, and reproductive justice; 
(E) enhance community organizing on 
Black maternal health; and 
(F) support efforts to increase funding and 
advance policies for Black-led and centered 
community-based organizations and perinatal 
birth workers that provide the full spectrum of 
reproductive, maternal, and sexual health care. 
Æ 
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