[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1375-E1376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   THE SAFE MOTHERHOOD MONITORING AND PREVENTION RESEARCH ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 1999

  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, let me tell you about my district. I 
represent 26 rural counties in Southern Missouri. These counties are 
home to some of the most poverty stricken communities in the State. 
Most of them lack even basic health care services. And many lack decent 
roads and reliable phone service. Many people in these communities find 
themselves isolated from their extended family, their friends and their 
neighbors.
  When I was starting my family more than 20 years ago, I was lucky to 
have my mother, my sister and my mother-in-law to help me through my 
pregnancies. I was lucky to be able to afford health insurance that 
covered prenatal care. I was lucky to have access to quality health 
care in Cape Girardeau. But many American women aren't so fortunate. 
And they fall through the cracks of our health system.
  Many young mothers-to-be in my rural district are isolated from 
family and friends--and they live miles away from nurses and doctors. 
This isolation often prevents them from getting prenatal care and adds 
to the fears and uncertainties that come along with being a new or 
expectant mother.
  Fortunately for some of the young women in rural Missouri, there are 
people like Sister Rita and Sister Ann looking out for them. Ten years 
ago, Sister Rita--a parish nurse and midwife serving in Missouri's poor 
``Lead Belt'' and Ozark counties--quickly realized that many of the 
young women there weren't prepared for healthy pregnancies and births 
or for caring for their infants. So Sister Rita began to network and 
build relationships in her community. She branched out and worked with 
the St. Louis University Medical Center and with State and federal 
health programs. And she established the ``Whole Kids Outreach'' in 
Ellington, Missouri.
  Sister Ann is now carrying on the incredible work started by Sister 
Rita. The Whole Kids Outreach program has grown to include a Resource 
Mothers Program--a program that educates women about healthy 
pregnancies and childbirth, promotes access to care, and provides home 
care visits. The most amazing thing about this program is that it is 
staffed by experienced moms from the community who are trained as 
childbirth educators. And these local moms help establish circles of 
support for expectant and new moms.
  It's with great admiration that I mention the Whole Kids Outreach 
program, because despite its modest size, it has been of tremendous 
help to many mothers and infants in rural Missouri. The young women in 
rural Missouri are not alone. Women throughout our nation face great 
challenges in securing healthy pregnancies and healthy children.
  Consider the following: At the turn of this century more American 
women died in childbirth than from any other cause except for 
tuberculosis. At the close of this century, after all of the medical 
advances made in this country, it's easy to assume that today pregnancy 
and childbirth are safer for American women and their babies.
  But this is a false assumption.
  The recently released CDC report makes it painfully clear that the 
promise of safe motherhood is eluding too many women. In fact, during 
the past 15 years alone, total maternal deaths have not declined one 
bit in our nation. Just think of it. Today, tuberculosis claims about 
one American life out of 1,000 a year. But 2-3 women out of 10,000 lose 
their lives each day due to pregnancy-related conditions.

[[Page E1376]]

And out of 1,000 live births in our country each year, 8 babies die. 
More infants die each year in the United States than in 24 other 
developed nations.
  As a Member of Congress and as a mother of four daughters, this 
maternal and infant mortality rate is simply unacceptable. We've got to 
find out why safe motherhood is still out of reach for so many American 
women. I am very proud to join many of my esteemed colleagues--Nita 
Lowey, Sue Kelley, Cynthia McKinney, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Carolyn 
Maloney--in introducing legislation today that will have a significant 
impact on the progress of maternal and infant health in this country.
  In addition to introducing the Safe Motherhood Monitoring and 
Prevention Research Act, we would like to call on the Commerce 
Subcommittee on Health and Environment to hold oversight hearings on 
maternal and infant health and urge Congress as a whole to make this 
issue a national priority.
  Our bill achieves 3 key goals, all necessary components to true 
progress in the enhancement of maternal and infant care.
  First, it expands CDC's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System 
(PRAMS) so that all 50 states will benefit from a public health 
monitoring system of pregnancy-risk related factors. Although the PRAMS 
program has received a lot of recognition for positively affecting 
maternal and infant health outcomes, currently only 18 states are 
benefiting from the success of PRAMS. Our bill also supports local and 
state efforts to collect data on mothers who experience serious 
complications during their pregnancy.
  Second, out bill authorizes an increase in federal funding for 
preventive research, so we can identify basic health prevention 
activities to improve maternal health. This aspect of the bill builds 
upon the Birth Defects Prevention Act, which my colleague, Senator Kit 
Bond and I sponsored in the 105th Congress and which was signed into 
law last April.
  The third and final component of our bill directs CDC to help states 
and localities create public education and prevention programs to 
prevent poor maternal outcomes for American women.
  In addition, our bill emphasizes the need to expand existing 
prevention programs and pregnancy risk assessment systems to include 
those areas of the country where underserved and at-risk populations 
reside.
  By looking at the list of original cosponsors of this bill, one is 
amazed at the very diverse groups of women legislators committed to 
this important piece of legislation. We're conservative and liberal. 
We're rural and urban. We're pro-life and pro-choice. And we're from 
multi-cultural backgrounds. But as a unique coalition of women, we're 
able to put aside our differences and come together on this common 
ground--on this precious ground--of the health and well-being of all 
mothers and infants in our nation. I urge all my colleagues to review 
the merits of the Safe Motherhood Monitoring and Prevention Research 
Act of 1999 and cosponsor this important piece of legislation.

                          ____________________