Resolution Backs 'Black Maternal Health Week,' Demanding Year-Long Coverage and Community-Led Care

This resolution officially supports designating the week of April 11 through April 17, 2025, as the eighth annual “Black Maternal Health Week.” Its core purpose is to spotlight the severe maternal health crisis in the U.S., where Black women are 23 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. While this is a resolution—meaning it doesn't change laws yet—it serves as a formal demand for Congress to invest in specific policy changes to address these systemic inequities.

The Stark Reality of the Crisis

Let’s be straight: the numbers are horrific. The resolution notes that while the overall U.S. maternal death rate is bad enough, the rate for Black women hit 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023. This isn't about income or education; it’s systemic, driven by structural racism and discrimination within the healthcare system. For the average person, this means that the quality of care received during one of the most vulnerable times of life—giving birth—is heavily influenced by race, leading to disproportionate complications like hemorrhage and preeclampsia.

Policy Demands: What Needs to Change

The resolution is clear about the policy road map, focusing on making healthcare more accessible and equitable. First, it strongly pushes for continuous health insurance coverage for Black women for a full year after giving birth, moving past the standard short coverage period. This is huge, as many life-threatening complications occur in that post-delivery year, and losing insurance can be a death sentence for follow-up care.

Second, it calls for investing in maternity care specifically designed for Black women and birthing people, ensuring that the communities most affected are leading the solutions. For example, this could mean funding community-based clinics or expanding reimbursement for Black midwives and doulas who currently face hurdles getting licensed and paid for their holistic, culturally competent care. This shift aims to move power and funding to those who best understand the problem.

Beyond the Clinic: Addressing Social Roots

Crucially, this resolution understands that health isn't just about doctors and hospitals. It demands that Congress address the foundational social determinants of health that impact Black communities. This means working on policies that promote safe and affordable housing, fair transportation, access to nutritious food, and environments free of toxins. For a busy working parent, this means recognizing that chronic stress from housing insecurity or environmental pollution directly affects pregnancy outcomes, and policy needs to tackle that whole picture.

Furthermore, the resolution calls for reforms in the justice system, specifically ending practices like surveillance and civil penalties related to criminal and family regulation systems that disproportionately harm Black families. By linking maternal health to issues like economic opportunity and freedom from state violence, the resolution takes a comprehensive human rights approach, arguing that you can’t fix birth outcomes without fixing the systemic issues surrounding them.

Centering Community Voices

Finally, the resolution emphasizes that Black women and birthing people must be centered in creating policy. It supports the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc., and encourages passing specific legislation, such as the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, to ensure high-quality, comprehensive, and non-discriminatory care. While this resolution is only a statement of intent, it serves as a powerful legislative signal that the Senate recognizes the crisis and is formally endorsing a specific, multi-pronged strategy for fixing it.