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Statement

Moms Leader Celebrates U.S. House Passage of First Black Maternal Health Momnibus Bill, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act

May 13, 2021
Maternal Mortality, Health Care

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement from Tina Sherman, Senior Campaign Director for Maternal Justice at MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on passage of the Protecting Moms Who Served Act (H.R. 958) by the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday:

“When the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protecting Moms Who Served Act in a unanimous bipartisan vote yesterday, members took a very welcome step to improve maternal health, reduce maternal mortality, and improve the health of veterans in our country. This bill, the first part of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act the U.S. House has passed, will codify and strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs maternity care programs and support a badly needed comprehensive study to examine the unique maternal health risks facing pregnant and postpartum veterans.

“At this time when the United States has the highest rate of maternal deaths during labor and delivery of any nation in the developed world – and Black women’s maternal mortality rate is four times that of white women – maternal health truly is a public health emergency and veterans are at particular risk. We must end the health disparities that veterans experience and ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs provides the highest quality maternal health care to the moms who have served and sacrificed.

“Enacting the Protecting Moms Who Served Act will help us provide veterans with the world-class maternal health care they deserve. Its passage by the U.S. House is an essential step in addressing America’s maternal health crisis, but only one step. America’s moms now look to the U.S. Senate to also pass this legislation, cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), so President Biden can sign it into law.”

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.