By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
Black Maternal Health Week, which began on April 11, comes to a close on April 17, as legislators work to improve maternal health.
According to Black Mamas Matter Alliance, the creators of Black Maternal Health Week, in 2023, the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births—about 3.5 times the rate for White women.
In the U.S., Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related issue than White women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are considered preventable.
A few key federal legislative initiatives supporting Black maternal health that Americans should know about include S.687, H.R.1909, H.R.1966 and H.R.2670.
S.687
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) introduced S.687, the Births in Custody Reporting Act of 2025, on Feb. 24. The bill aims to encourage states to report to the Attorney General particular information about inmates who give birth while in the custody of law enforcement agencies.
The Births in Custody Reporting Act of 2025 has one co-sponsor, U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.).
“I led a bipartisan investigation of the mistreatment of pregnant women in prisons and jails in Georgia,” said Ossof. “We heard about women who were forced into prolonged solitary confinement immediately after childbirth with no meaningful access to their newborn baby and of women who were in labor with iron shackles around their abdomen. These are serious human and civil rights abuses.”
The Births in Custody Reporting Act of 2025 would require states receiving certain funding to report on a quarterly basis to the Attorney General. Each state this bill would apply to would have no more than 120 days from the date of enactment of the legislation to report to the Attorney General.
The anonymized information to be reported includes the number of pregnant inmates in custody to date that year, the racial and ethnic makeup of each pregnant inmate and whether every female inmate was given a pregnancy test no later than one week after being held in custody at that facility.
This bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where it awaits further consideration.
H.R.1909
U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.-01) introduced H.R.1909, the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2025, on March 6. This bill has six co-sponsors as of April 16.
The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize assistance for State-based maternal mortality review committees and orders the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide hospitals, professional societies and perinatal collaboratives with the best practical strategies for preventing maternal mortality.
The Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2025 has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where it awaits further consideration.
H.R.1966
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Ca.-43) introduced H.R.1966, Mamas and Babies in Underserved Communities Act of 2025, on March 6. The bill has 34 co-sponsors as of April 16.
It would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to award grants to enhance and expand maternal health care services. Public and non-profit health providers who serve one or more minority, low-income or medically underserved communities would be eligible for the funding.
This bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, awaiting further consideration.
During Black Maternal Health Week, U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) raised alarm about restructuring efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services that she believes could cripple efforts to combat the maternal mortality crisis.
“This Black Maternal Health Week is a reminder that we cannot despair,” said Alsobrooks in a statement on April 14. “We must keep fighting. I will work every single day in the Senate – with whoever will work alongside me – to end this crisis, to protect Black mothers and to ensure women across this country have the health care they need.”
Alsobrooks shared with the AFRO that she is working on legislation to expand access to care for pregnant women.