[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 29, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5940-H5941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                  SUPPORTING PRETERM BIRTH PREVENTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Ms. McClellan) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues that 
we are in the midst of a maternal and infant health crisis.
  The United States remains one of the most dangerous places to give 
birth among high-income countries, and we are trending in the wrong 
direction.
  According to the recently released ``2023 March of Dimes Report Card: 
The State of Maternal and Infant Health for American Families,'' the 
United States maintained a D-plus grade for preterm birth for the 
second year in a row.
  We saw only a modest 0.1 percent improvement in the preterm birthrate 
over the previous year, with the data showing persistent and 
compounding gaps in health equity that put moms and babies at risk.
  Virginia is not far behind with a C grade. The preterm birthrate for 
2022 was 9.7 percent, just 0.2 percent lower than the year before.
  We must take decisive, comprehensive action to address these dual 
crises and improve public health outcomes for mothers and babies across 
the Nation. That is why, earlier this month, I introduced a bipartisan 
resolution with my colleagues to designate November as Prematurity 
Awareness Month. Our resolution aims to raise awareness about the risks 
and challenges associated with preterm babies and encourage communities 
to promote preterm prevention programs.
  As is too often the case, minority populations, particularly Black 
women, experience disproportionately higher rates of preterm birth and 
other associated health challenges. The preterm birthrate among babies 
born to Black women is still 1\1/2\ times higher than the national 
average.
  I am a Black mother to two young children, and I know this reality 
all too well. I was the first member of the Virginia House of Delegates 
to be pregnant and give birth while in office, and I almost died giving 
birth to my second child, Samantha.
  Nine weeks prior to her due date, my placenta ruptured, and I was 
rushed to the emergency room for an emergency cesarean section. The 
last thing I remember is hearing my doctor say, ``I am here, and I will 
take care of this.'' Samantha was born 9 weeks early and spent the 
first 6 weeks of her life in the NICU at Henrico Doctors' Hospital. I 
will never forget the fear and anxiety that I felt.
  This experience inspired me to take matters into my own hands as a 
State

[[Page H5941]]

legislator to do everything in my power to improve healthcare resources 
for Virginians and tackle the maternal and infant health crisis.
  Now, I am one of the few--less than 7 percent--mothers to young 
children in Congress. I am one of the even fewer 3 percent of Members 
of Congress who is a Black mother. I am proud to continue my efforts 
here in Congress on a bipartisan basis.
  We can improve health outcomes and close longstanding health 
disparities by promoting awareness of this nationwide epidemic and 
encouraging parents and communities to take an active role in 
supporting preterm birth intervention programs.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, and I am 
grateful for the bipartisan group of legislators who are supporting 
this effort. Together, we can make real progress on these issues, but 
only if we keep it a priority. We must because our children's lives 
depend on it.

                          ____________________