[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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