Title: Recognizing the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 2021, as "Black Maternal Health Week" to bring national attention to the maternal health crisis in the United States and the importance of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and birthing persons.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This resolution recognizes the opportunity for Black Maternal Health Week to raise national awareness of the state of Black maternal health in the United States.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 304 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 304

 Recognizing the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 
2021, as ``Black Maternal Health Week'' to bring national attention to 
 the maternal health crisis in the United States and the importance of 
    reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and 
                           birthing persons.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 13, 2021

 Ms. Adams (for herself, Ms. Underwood, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. 
    Bishop of Georgia, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Bush, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. 
 Cardenas, Mr. Carson, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Crow, 
   Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Ms. DeGette, Ms. Lois Frankel of 
Florida, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Higgins of New York, Ms. Johnson 
of Texas, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Larson of 
     Connecticut, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Ms. Lee of 
     California, Ms. Manning, Mr. McNerney, Ms. Meng, Ms. Moore of 
 Wisconsin, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Newman, Ms. Omar, Mr. Payne, 
  Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Ryan, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. 
   Schakowsky, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. Speier, Ms. 
Stevens, Mr. Trone, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Wilson 
 of Florida, Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Ms. Bass, Ms. Bourdeaux, Mr. Michael F. 
   Doyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Horsford, Mrs. Carolyn B. 
 Maloney of New York, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Welch, 
    Ms. Chu, Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Norton, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Kelly of 
   Illinois, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Evans, Mr. Sires, Ms. Blunt 
Rochester, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Brown, Mr. Meeks, Mr. Blumenauer, 
Ms. Jacobs of California, Ms. Dean, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Soto, Ms. Ross, Ms. 
DeLauro, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. McEachin, Mr. Schrader, Mr. Suozzi, and Mr. 
 Sean Patrick Maloney of New York) submitted the following resolution; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
 addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Transportation and 
Infrastructure, Education and Labor, the Judiciary, Natural Resources, 
  Agriculture, and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 
2021, as ``Black Maternal Health Week'' to bring national attention to 
 the maternal health crisis in the United States and the importance of 
    reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and 
                           birthing persons.

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black 
        women in the United States are three to four times more likely than 
        White women to die from pregnancy-related causes;
Whereas Black women in the United States suffer from life-threatening pregnancy 
        complications, known as ``maternal morbidities'', twice as often as 
        White women;
Whereas maternal mortality rates in the United States are--

    (1) among the highest in the developed world; and

    (2) increasing rapidly;

Whereas the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among affluent 
        countries, in part because of the disproportionate mortality rate of 
        Black women;
Whereas Black women are 49 percent more likely than all other women to deliver 
        prematurely;
Whereas the high rates of maternal mortality among Black women span across--

    (1) income levels;

    (2) education levels; and

    (3) socioeconomic status;

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 a fair and wide distribution of resources and birth options, especially 
        with regard to reproductive health care services and maternal health 
        programming, are critical to closing the racial gap in maternal health 
        outcomes;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted issues within the broken 
        health care system in the United States and the harm of that system to 
        Black women and birthing persons by exposing--

    (1) increased barriers to accessing prenatal and postpartum care, 
including maternal mental health care;

    (2) lack of uniform hospital policies permitting doulas and support 
persons to be present during labor and delivery;

    (3) inconsistent hospital policies regarding the separation of the 
newborn from a mother that is suspected positive for COVID-19;

    (4) complexities in COVID-19 vaccine drug trials including pregnant 
people;

    (5) increased rates of Cesarean section deliveries;

    (6) shortened hospital stays following delivery;

    (7) provider shortages and lack of sufficient policies to allow home 
births attended by midwives;

    (8) insufficient practical support for delivery of care by midwives, 
including telehealth access;

    (9) adverse economic impact on Black mothers and families due to job 
loss or reduction in income during quarantine and the pandemic recession; 
and

    (10) pervasive racial injustice against Black people in the criminal 
justice, social, and health care systems;

Whereas, even as there is growing concern about improving access to mental 
        health services, Black women are least likely to have access to mental 
        health screenings, treatment, and support before, during, and after 
        pregnancy;
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 persons, including 
support of care led by the communities most affected by the maternal health 
crisis in the United States;

    (2) continuous health insurance coverage to support Black women and 
birthing persons for the full postpartum period up to at least one 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 recognizes that--
            (1) Black women are experiencing high, disproportionate 
        rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States;
            (2) the alarmingly high rates of maternal mortality among 
        Black women are unacceptable;
            (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) fair treatment within the criminal justice 
                system;
                    (G) safety and freedom from violence;
                    (H) a living wage;
                    (I) equal economic opportunity;
                    (J) a sustained workforce pipeline for diverse 
                perinatal professionals; and
                    (K) comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable 
                health care with access to the full spectrum of 
                reproductive care;
            (4) in order to improve maternal health outcomes, Congress 
        must fully support and encourage policies grounded in the human 
        rights and reproductive justice frameworks that address Black 
        maternal health inequity;
            (5) Black women and birthing persons must be active 
        participants in the policy decisions that impact their lives;
            (6) in order to ensure access to safe and respectful 
        maternal health care for Black birthing people, Congress must 
        pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 (H.R. 959/
        S. 346); and
            (7) ``Black Maternal Health Week'' is an opportunity--
                    (A) to raise national awareness of the state of 
                Black maternal health in the United States;
                    (B) to amplify the voices of Black women and 
                birthing persons, families, and communities;
                    (C) to serve as a national platform for--
                            (i) entities led by Black women; and
                            (ii) efforts on maternal health; and
                    (D) to enhance community organizing on Black 
                maternal health.
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