Supporting the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 2025, as the eighth annual Black Maternal Health Week, founded by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA), to bring national attention to the maternal and reproductive health crisis in the United States and the importance of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and birthing people.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Adams (for herself, Ms. Underwood, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Bishop, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This resolution designates the week of April 11-17, 2025, as "Black Maternal Health Week" to raise national awareness about the maternal health crisis affecting Black women. The resolution recognizes that Black women experience disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States and calls for Congressional action to address the systemic and structural racism that contributes to these disparities.
Who Benefits and How
Black women and birthing people benefit through increased national attention to maternal health disparities they face, though the resolution itself provides no direct services or funding. Community-based maternal health organizations, especially the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (which founded Black Maternal Health Week), benefit from elevated visibility and the resolution's call for increased funding for Black-led organizations providing maternal and reproductive health care. Healthcare providers offering full-spectrum reproductive care, diverse perinatal professionals, and maternal health researchers benefit from the resolution's support for expanding access to comprehensive care and investing in community-driven policy and research solutions.
Who Bears the Burden and How
This is a symbolic resolution with no direct burdens or mandatory spending. However, the resolution calls for reforms to criminal justice and family regulation systems, including ending surveillance, mandatory reporting, and civil penalties related to pregnancy and parenting - which would constrain current enforcement practices in these systems if enacted through future legislation.
Key Provisions
- Recognizes that Black women experience unacceptably high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity driven by systemic racism
- Identifies multiple social determinants of health that Congress must address: safe housing, transportation equity, nutritious food, clean air and water, freedom from toxins, living wages, and comprehensive reproductive healthcare
- Calls for decriminalization and ending surveillance/mandatory reporting in criminal and family regulation systems affecting pregnant and parenting people
- Urges Congress to pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act and other human rights-based legislation to improve maternal care
- Designates Black Maternal Health Week as an opportunity to amplify Black-led solutions, center the voices of Black families, and increase funding for community-based organizations and perinatal birth workers providing reproductive and maternal health services
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Supporting the designation of Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17, 2025) to raise awareness about maternal mortality and morbidity crisis affecting Black women and birthing people.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Raise awareness and political will for comprehensive maternal health equity legislation by designating a recognition week and outlining systemic root causes of Black maternal mortality"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Black women and birthing people
- Black Mamas Matter Alliance and similar advocacy organizations
- Community-based organizations providing maternal and reproductive health care
- Diverse perinatal professionals
- Black-led maternal health service providers
Likely Burden Bearers
- No direct burden bearers - this is a non-binding resolution that recognizes issues and calls for action but does not mandate spending or regulatory changes
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "congress"
- → United States Congress (House of Representatives)
- "black_mamas_matter_alliance"
- → Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. (BMMA) - founder of Black Maternal Health Week
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc., the organization that founded Black Maternal Health Week
The week of April 11 through April 17, 2025, designated to bring national attention to the maternal and reproductive health crisis affecting Black women and birthing people
Legislation mentioned as needed to ensure access to safe and respectful maternal health care for Black birthing people
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology