2025-2026 Regular Session HR 117 PN 1116 Bill Text (HTM)

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 955

PRINTER'S NO. 1116

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

117

Session of

2025

INTRODUCED BY MAYES, CURRY, CEPHAS, HOHENSTEIN, HILL-EVANS,

WAXMAN, MADDEN, VENKAT, KHAN, KENYATTA, KAZEEM, N. NELSON,

D. MILLER, ABNEY, RIVERA, SCHLOSSBERG, SANCHEZ, GREEN,

O'MARA, BOYD, CERRATO AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MARCH 13, 2025

AS RE-REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON RULES, HOUSE OF

REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MARCH 24, 2025

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing March 14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day" in

Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, Black midwives have made longstanding and invaluable

contributions to maternal and infant health in Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, Recognizing March 14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day"

amplifies the significance of midwifery in achieving better

maternal health outcomes by creating greater access to high-

quality maternal health care, especially in maternal health

deserts; and

WHEREAS, The "Black Midwives Day" campaign, founded and led

by the National Black Midwives Alliance in 2023, is a day of

awareness, activism, celebration, education, advocacy and

historical preservation; and

WHEREAS, "Black Midwives Day" is an opportunity to

acknowledge the fight to end maternal mortality in Pennsylvania;

and

WHEREAS, In 2020, the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for

Black women in this Commonwealth was almost three times greater

than the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for White women; and

WHEREAS, High rates of maternal mortality among Black women

are consistent among socioeconomic statuses and education

levels; and

WHEREAS, Maternal ACCORDING TO THE 2024 PENNSYLVANIA MATERNAL

MORTALITY REVIEW ANNUAL REPORT, MATERNAL morbidities have

devastating effects for families and communities, and 93.5% of

pregnancy-related maternal deaths that occurred in this

Commonwealth in 2020 were deemed preventable; and

WHEREAS, A lack of access to quality, affordable health care

and postpartum care, delays in the recognition of risks and

complications associated with pregnancy, systemic discrimination

and implicit bias contribute to the high mortality rate among

Black women; and

WHEREAS, ACCORDING TO THE JOURNAL OF WOMEN'S HEALTH AND THE

CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES, A LACK OF ACCESS TO

QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE AND POSTPARTUM CARE, DELAYS IN

THE RECOGNITION OF RISKS AND COMPLICATIONS AND DENIAL OF

ADEQUATE CARE ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY, SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION

AND IMPLICIT BIAS, INCLUDING IGNORING PATIENT CONCERNS IN HEALTH

CARE, CONTRIBUTE TO THE HIGH MORTALITY RATE AMONG BLACK WOMEN;

AND

WHEREAS, Black communities are also among those most affected

by maternity care deserts, where there is a lack of maternity

health care resources and no hospitals, birth centers or

providers offering obstetric care; and

WHEREAS, Other pregnancy complications, including chronic

heart disease, hypertension, preeclampsia, hemorrhage and

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diabetes, also disproportionately affect Black women; and

WHEREAS, Black women are more likely to experience

mistreatment by health care providers, such as being ignored or

denied care in a reasonable amount of time; and

WHEREAS, The practice of midwifery is built upon a

relationship-centered approach between the midwife and the

pregnant woman, with an emphasis on the pregnant woman's

autonomy; and

WHEREAS, Increasing the number of Black midwives in the

workforce is critical to addressing maternal health disparities,

as Black midwives offer care that builds trust, enhances

maternal satisfaction with the pregnancy, birthing and

postpartum experience and improves health outcomes for Black

mothers and their babies; and

WHEREAS, Midwifery-led care has been shown to result in cost

savings, reduced medical interventions, lower cesarean rates,

decreased preterm births and improved health outcomes for both

mothers and babies; and

WHEREAS, Midwives are trained to provide obstetric and

gynecological care during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum;

and

WHEREAS, Midwives may provide essential maternal health care

services in a variety of settings in hospitals, clinics, birth

centers, homes or community-based settings, ensuring

accessibility and continuity of care; and

WHEREAS, Black maternity care deserts lead to higher risks of

maternal morbidity and mortality as most complications occur in

the postpartum period when pregnant women are far away from

their health care providers; and

WHEREAS, Black communities benefit from access to Black

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midwives for culturally sensitive and congruent care; and

WHEREAS, A lack of affordable training opportunities,

financial barriers, State laws and variances in insurance

coverage currently limit the capacity to practice midwifery,

especially Black midwifery, in hospitals and birth centers; and

WHEREAS, Greater levels of integration of midwives across

health care settings are associated with significantly higher

rates of physiologic birth, less obstetric interventions and

fewer adverse neonatal outcomes; and

WHEREAS, Integrating midwives across health care settings

would be instrumental in reducing maternal health disparities

and addressing both maternity care deserts and health care

provider shortages; and

WHEREAS, Black midwives have offered high-quality care

throughout history, despite experiencing persecution,

enslavement, violence, racism and the systematic erasure of

their work; and

WHEREAS, The resurgence of Black midwifery is a testament to

the resilience, resistance and determination of spirit in the

preservation of healing modalities practiced all over the world;

and

WHEREAS, The National Black Midwives Alliance campaign aims

to bring visibility to issues impacting Black midwives and the

communities in which they work and promotes awareness, activism,

education and community building in recognizing "Black Midwives

Day"; and

WHEREAS, "Black Midwives Day" is important in raising

awareness on the state of Black maternal health, the causes of

poor maternal health outcomes and the health disparities

impacting Black communities, while offering an opportunity to

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acknowledge efforts to end maternal mortality on the local,

national and global levels; and

WHEREAS, In recognizing "Black Midwives Day," the

Commonwealth will recognize and emphasize the importance of

Black midwifery in addressing gaps to access high-quality care

and achieving better maternal health outcomes; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize March

14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day" in Pennsylvania.

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