[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 647 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 647

 Recognizing the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 
      2024, as the seventh annual ``Black Maternal Health Week''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 17, 2024

  Mr. Booker (for himself, Ms. Butler, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. 
  Baldwin, Ms. Warren, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. 
  Murray, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Sanders, Ms. 
    Smith, Mr. Welch, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Markey, Mr. Brown, Ms. 
  Klobuchar, and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the following resolution; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                                Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 
      2024, as the seventh annual ``Black Maternal Health Week''.

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black 
        women in the United States are 2 to 3 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, from 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in 
2018, to 20.1 in 2019, 23.8 in 2020, and 32.9 in 2021;

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 50 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 the overturn of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973) impacts Black women and 
        birthing people's access to reproductive health care and right to bodily 
        autonomy, and further perpetuates reproductive oppression as a tool to 
        control women's bodies;
Whereas a fair and wide distribution of resources and birth options, especially 
        regarding reproductive health care services and maternal health 
        programming, is critical to closing the racial gap 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 access to reproductive healthcare due to low Medicaid 
        reimbursements, rising costs, and ongoing staff shortages;
Whereas Black midwives, doulas, perinatal health workers, and community-based 
        organizations provide holistic maternal health care but face structural 
        and legal barriers to licensure, reimbursement, and provision of care;
Whereas COVID-19, which has disproportionately harmed Black people in the United 
        States, is associated with an increased risk for adverse pregnancy 
        outcomes and maternal and neonatal complications;
Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted issues within the broken 
        health care system in the United States and the harm that system does to 
        Black women and birthing people by exposing--

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

    (2) a 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 to be 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) the 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 new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has 
        indicated that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the maternal mortality rate 
        for Black women has increased by 26 percent;
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 Black pregnant and postpartum workers are disproportionately denied 
        reasonable accommodations in the workplace, leading to adverse pregnancy 
        outcomes;
Whereas Black pregnant people disproportionately experience surveillance and 
        punishment, including shackling incarcerated people in labor, drug 
        testing mothers and infants without informed consent, separating mothers 
        from their newborns, and criminalizing pregnancy outcomes;
Whereas justice-informed, culturally congruent models of care are beneficial to 
        Black women;
Whereas an investment must be made in--

    (1) maternity care for Black women and birthing people, 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 people for the full postpartum period up to 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; and

Whereas Black Maternal Health Week was founded in 2018 and led by Black Mamas 
        Matter Alliance, inc. to bring national attention to the maternal and 
        reproductive healthcare crisis in the United States and the importance 
        of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and 
        birthing people: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate recognizes--
            (1) the seventh annual ``Black Maternal Health Week''; and
            (2) that--
                    (A) Black women are experiencing high, 
                disproportionate rates of maternal mortality and 
                morbidity in the United States;
                    (B) the alarmingly high rates of maternal mortality 
                among Black women are unacceptable;
                    (C) in order to better mitigate the effects of 
                systemic and structural racism, Congress must work 
                toward ensuring--
                            (i) that the Black community has--
                                    (I) safe and affordable housing;
                                    (II) transportation equity;
                                    (III) nutritious food;
                                    (IV) clean air and water;
                                    (V) environments free from toxins;
                                    (VI) safety and freedom from 
                                violence;
                                    (VII) a living wage;
                                    (VIII) equal economic opportunity;
                                    (IX) a sustained and expansive 
                                workforce pipeline for diverse 
                                perinatal professionals; and
                                    (X) comprehensive, high-quality, 
                                and affordable health care with access 
                                to the full spectrum of reproductive 
                                care; and
                            (ii) reform of the criminal justice and 
                        family regulation systems to decriminalize 
                        pregnancy, remove civil penalties, end 
                        surveillance of families, and end mandatory 
                        reporting within the system;
                    (D) in order to improve maternal health outcomes, 
                Congress must fully support and encourage policies 
                grounded in the human rights, reproductive justice 
                policies, and birth justice frameworks that address 
                Black maternal health inequity;
                    (E) Black women and birthing people must be active 
                participants in the policy decisions that impact their 
                lives;
                    (F) 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; and
                    (G) ``Black Maternal Health Week'' is an 
                opportunity to--
                            (i) deepen the national conversation about 
                        Black maternal health in the United States;
                            (ii) amplify and invest in community-driven 
                        policy, research, and quality care solutions;
                            (iii) center the voices of Black mamas, 
                        women, families, and stakeholders;
                            (iv) provide a national platform for Black-
                        led entities and efforts that promote maternal 
                        and mental health, safe and healthy births, and 
                        reproductive justice;
                            (v) enhance community organizing on Black 
                        maternal health; and
                            (vi) support efforts to increase funding 
                        for, and advance policies that assist, Black-
                        led and centered community-based organizations 
                        and perinatal birth workers that provide full 
                        spectrum reproductive, maternal, and sexual 
                        healthcare.
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