,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #aed  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,april    
#aj1 #bjai ,ms4 ,harris 7for herself1   
,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4       
,wyden1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 
,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,ms4 ,stabenow1 ,mr4 
,brown1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 
,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mrs4   
,murray1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,markey1 
and ,mr4 ,van ,hollen7 submitted the    
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,health1          
,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions       
,,resolution  ,recognizing the week of  
,april #aa through ,april #ag1 #bjai1 as
 ,black ,maternal ,health ,week to bring
 national attention to the maternal     
health crisis in the ,black community   
and the importance of reducing maternal 
mortality and morbidity among ,black    
women4  ,whereas1 according to the      
,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention1 ,black mothers in the      
,united ,states are #c to #d times more 

likely than ,white mothers to die from  
pregnancy-related causes2 ,whereas      
,black women in the ,united ,states     
suffer from life-threatening pregnancy  
complications1 known as maternal        
morbidities1 twice as often as ,white   
women2 ,whereas maternal mortality rates
 in the ,united ,states are-- 7#a7 among
 the highest in the developed world2 and
  7#b7 increasing rapidly2 ,whereas the 
,united ,states has the highest maternal
 mortality rate among affluent          
countries1 in part because of the       
disproportionate mortality rate of      
,black mothers2 ,whereas ,black women   
are #di percent more likely than ,white 
women to deliver prematurely2 ,whereas  
the high rates of maternal mortality    
among ,black women span across--  7#a7  
income levels2  7#b7 education levels2  
and  7#c7 socioeconomic status2 ,whereas
 structural racism1 gender oppression1  
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 women2 ,whereas  
racism and discrimination play a        
consequential role in maternal health   
care1 experiences1 and outcomes2        
,whereas a fair distribution of         
resources1 especially with regard to    
reproductive health care services and   
maternal health programming1 is critical
 to closing the maternal health racial  
disparity gap2 ,whereas1 even as there  
is growing concern about improving      
access to mental health services1 ,black
 women are least likely to have access  
to mental health screenings1 treatment1 
and support before1 during1 and after   
pregnancy2 ,whereas justice-informed1   
culturally congruent models of care are 
beneficial to ,black women2 and ,whereas
 an investment must be made in--  7#a7  
maternity care for ,black women2 and    
7#b7 policies that support and promote  
affordable1 comprehensive1 and holistic 
maternal health care that is free from  

gender and racial discrimination3 ,now1 
therefore1 be it  ,that the ,senate     
recognizes-- 7#a7 that ,black women are 
experiencing high1 disproportionate     
rates of maternal mortality and         
morbidity in the ,united ,states2  7#b7 
that the alarmingly high rates of       
maternal mortality among ,black women   
are unacceptable2  7#c7 that1 in order  
to better mitigate the effects of       
systemic and structural racism1         
,congress must work toward ensuring that
 the ,black community has--  7,a7       
adequate housing2  7,b7 transportation  
equity2  7,c7 nutritious food2  7,d7    
clean water2  7,e7 environments free    
from toxins2  7,f7 fair treatment within
 the criminal justice system2  7,g7     
safety and freedom from violence2  7,h7 
a living wage2  7,i7 equal economic     
opportunity2 and  7,j7 comprehensive1   
affordable health care2  7#d7 that1 in  
order to improve maternal health        
outcomes1 ,congress must fully support  
and encourage policies grounded in the  

human rights and reproductive justice   
frameworks that address ,black maternal 
health inequity2  7#e7 that ,black women
 must be active participants in the     
policy decisions that impact their      
lives2  7#f7 that ,black ,maternal      
,health ,week is an opportunity--  7,a7 
to raise national awareness of the state
 of ,black maternal health in the       
,united ,states2  7,b7 to amplify the   
voices of ,black women1 families1 and   
communities2  7,c7 to serve as a        
national platform for-- 7i7 entities led
 by ,black women2 and  7ii7 efforts on  
maternal health2 and  7,d7 to enhance   
community organizing on ,black maternal 
health2 and  7#g7 the significance of   
,april #aa through ,april #ag1 #bjai1 as
 ,black ,maternal ,health ,week4