“The fact that over 700 women die each year in the U.S. from pregnancy-related causes is simply unacceptable. The fact that black women are three to four times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related causes is an emergency that demands immediate attention and action by Congress. Now is the time to raise awareness about how our nation is failing black mothers, their children and their families. In order to effectively meet the health needs of all mothers and babies, we must identify and treat medical conditions before, during and after pregnancy.
March of Dimes commends Representatives Alma Adams and Lauren Underwood for launching the Black Maternal Health Caucus and stands ready to support the co-chairs and members of the Caucus in advancing policy initiatives to end the public health crisis facing black moms and their babies. Now is the time to identify the causes of disparities in pregnancy outcomes for women of color and enact policies that eliminate those disparities. We look forward to working with the Caucus towards achieving these and other goals.”