SENATE RESOLUTION 675--SUPPORTING THE DESIGNATION OF THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2026, AS "BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK", FOUNDED BY BLACK MAMAS MATTER ALLIANCE, INC., TO BRING NATIONAL...

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Record: Senate Floor
Section type: Floor speeches
Chamber: Senate
Date: April 16, 2026
Congress: 119th Congress
Why this source matters: This section came from the Senate floor portion of the record.

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Bills and resolutions: S.Res. 675 (119th Congress)
Committees: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

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Senate Resolution 675--supporting The Designation Of The Week Of April

11 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2026, AS “BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK”, FOUNDED BY BLACK MAMAS MATTER ALLIANCE, INC., TO BRING NATIONAL ATTENTION TO THE MATERNAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CRISIS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY AMONG BLACK

WOMEN AND BIRTHING PEOPLE

Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Warren, Mr. Coons, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Markey, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Welch, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Smith, and Ms. Slotkin) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

S. Res. 675

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 and people living in low-income and

rural communities in the United States suffer from life-

threatening pregnancy complications, known as “maternal

morbidities”, twice as often as White women;

Whereas the maternal mortality rate in the United States—

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

(2) was 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, 32.9

in 2021, 22.3 in 2022, and 18.6 in 2023;

Whereas the United States has the highest maternal

mortality rate among affluent countries, driven in part by

systemic inequities in health care that disproportionately

and unjustly affect Black women;

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, in 2023, the United States maternal mortality

rate decreased for White (14.5), Hispanic (12.4), and Asian

(10.7) women but increased to 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live

births for Black women;

Whereas Black women are 50 percent more likely than all

other women to give birth to premature and low birth weight

infants;

Whereas the high rates of maternal mortality among Black

women span across—

(1) income levels;

(2) education levels; and

(3) socioeconomic status;

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

found that more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths

in the United States are preventable;

Whereas the leading causes of maternal mortality among

Black women and birthing people include obstetric embolism,

obstetric hemorrhage, eclampsia and preeclampsia, and

postpartum cardiomyopathy, and these conditions impact Black

women and birthing people disproportionately;

Whereas Black mothers have the highest rate of cesarean

section deliveries;

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 right to

reproductive health care and bodily autonomy and further

perpetuates reproductive oppression as a tool to control

women's bodies;

Whereas a fair and wide distribution of economic resources

and birth options, especially regarding reproductive health

care services and maternal health programming, including

prenatal, postpartum, family planning, and education

programs, is critical to addressing inequities 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 health care due to low Medicaid

reimbursements, rising costs, and persistent health care

workforce shortages;

Whereas Black midwives, doulas, perinatal health workers,

and community-based organizations provide holistic maternal

health care, but face systemic, structural, economic, and

legal barriers to licensure, reimbursement, and provision of

care;

Whereas Black women and birthing people experience

increased structural and financial barriers to accessing

prenatal and postpartum care, including maternal mental

health care;

Whereas COVID-19, which has disproportionately harmed Black

Americans, is associated with an increased risk for adverse

pregnancy outcomes and maternal and neonatal complications;

Whereas 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 Black pregnant women have historically low rates of

vaccinations, which is associated with higher disparities in

maternal health outcomes;

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 such as miscarriage;

Whereas Black women and birthing people experience

pervasive racial injustice in the criminal justice, social,

and health care systems;

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 people,

including 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 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: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate 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 and unjust;

(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;

(D) clean air and water;

(E) environments free from toxins;

(F) decriminalization, removal of civil penalties, end of

surveillance, and end of mandatory reporting within the

criminal and family regulation system;

(G) safety and freedom from violence, especially violence

perpetrated by government actors;

(H) a living wage;

(I) equal economic opportunity;

(J) a sustained and expansive workforce pipeline for

diverse perinatal professionals; and

(K) comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable health care

including 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, reproductive justice, and birth justice

frameworks that address maternal health inequities;

(5) Black women and birthing people 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 legislation intended to end preventable maternal

mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal health

disparities in the United States and other legislation rooted

in human rights that seek to improve maternal care and

outcomes; and

(7) “Black Maternal Health Week” is an opportunity to—

(A) deepen the national conversation about Black maternal

health in the United States;

(B) amplify and invest in community-driven policy,

research, and quality care solutions;

women, families, and stakeholders;

(D) provide a national platform for Black-led entities and

efforts on maternal and mental health, birth equity, and

reproductive justice;

(E) enhance community organizing on Black maternal health;

and

(F) support efforts to increase funding and advance

policies for Black-led and centered community-based

organizations and perinatal birth workers that provide the

full spectrum of reproductive, maternal, and sexual health

care.

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Senate Resolution 675--supporting The Designation Of The Week Of April

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