Res. No. 1717

Resolution calling on the United States Congress to pass and President Joseph Biden to sign the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021.

By the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams) and Council Members Gibson, Louis, Rosenthal and Adams

Whereas, The rate of maternal mortality in the United States more than doubled between 1990 and 2014 and the United States is the only developed country in the world whose rates continue to rise according to studies published in Obstetrics and Gynecology; and

Whereas, Over 700 women a year in the United States die of complications related to pregnancy and two-thirds of those deaths are preventable, with 50,000 women suffering from Severe Maternal Morbidity defined as life threatening complications of pregnancy according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and  

Whereas, Rising maternal mortality and morbidity rates disproportionately impact Black women, who are up to three times more likely to die due to a complication from child birth than white women, regardless of other factors such as their level of educational attainment or income, according to United States Department of Health and Human Services research on maternal mortality disparities; and  

Whereas, In New York State, the maternal mortality rate for black women was 51.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 15.9 deaths per 100,000 live births for white women from 2014-2016, according to the New York State Taskforce on Maternal Mortality and Disparate Racial Outcomes report from March 2019; and 

Whereas, In New York City, Black women are three times more likely than white women to suffer from Severe Maternal Morbidity according to a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene report on Severe Maternal Morbidity; and 

Whereas, The Black Maternal Momnibus Act of 2021 H.R.959/S.346 sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NI) is a package that includes nine individual pieces of legislation to address the immense racial and ethnic disparities in maternal healthcare in the United States; and

Whereas, The Social Determinants for Moms Act H.R.943/S.851 sponsored by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA-6) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) approves the disbursement of grant funding for further research and study on social determinants of maternal health such as transportation, housing and environmental factors; and

Whereas, The Kira Johnson Act H.R.1212 sponsored by Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) and named for a 39-year-old active, otherwise healthy Black woman who passed away in 2016 from a preventable complication shortly after delivering her second son, would expand funding for community based organizations working to improve maternal health outcomes for Black women; and 

Whereas, The Protecting Moms Who Served Act H.R.958/S.796 sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) would commission a study on maternal health outcomes among veterans with an emphasis on ethnic and racial disparity; and 

Whereas, The Perinatal Workforce Act H.R.945/S.287 sponsored by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI-4) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) would establish grant funding under the Public Services Act for accredited schools that educate and train certified nurse-midwives and other perinatal healthcare providers in order to expand and diversify the maternity care workforce; and 

Whereas, The Data to Save Moms Act H.R.925/S.347 sponsored by Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS-3) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) would improve data collection processes and quality measures of maternal health outcomes; and

Whereas, The Moms MATTER Act H.R.909/S.484 sponsored by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-At Large) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) would address the mental health and substance use disorder needs of mothers through the promotion of evidence-based programs that improve outcomes; and

Whereas, The Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act H.R.948/S.341 sponsored by Rep. Ayanna Presley (D-MA-7) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)  would support incarcerated women by promoting better care in corrections facilities and would help to end the utilization of shackling in state and local prisons by attaching federal funding to prohibitions on the use of restraints on pregnant women; and  

Whereas, The Tech to Save Moms Act H.R.937/S.893 sponsored by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30) and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) would invest in digital tools like telehealth to improve maternal health outcomes in underserved areas; and 

Whereas, The IMPACT to Save Moms Act H.R.950/S.334 sponsored by Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL-09) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) would help to promote better access to care through the continuity of health insurance coverage for the duration of labor, delivery and postpartum care; and

Whereas, The Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act H.R.8027/S.4769 sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) would make targeted investments to advance safe and maternity care and improve data collection, monitoring, and research on maternal health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond; and

Whereas, The Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act H.R.957/S.423 sponsored by Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) would address climate change-related risks, make investments to initiatives that aim to reduce levels of and exposure to extreme heat, air pollution, and other environmental threats to pregnant people, new moms, and their infants, and

Whereas, The Maternal Vaccination Act H.R.951/S.345 sponsored by Representative Terri A. Sewell (D-AL-07) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) would provide funding for programs to increase maternal vaccination rates, protecting both new moms and their babies; and

Whereas, The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 would make critical investments in policies that would help to end preventable maternal mortality and to close the racial and ethnic disparities in maternal healthcare; now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the United States Congress to pass and President Joseph Biden to sign the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021.

NO

04/27/2021

LS 14,832