Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) joined Cory Booker (D-NJ) and seven Senate colleagues to reintroduce a resolution to officially designate January 23 as Maternal Health Awareness Day. The resolution emphasizes the importance of raising public awareness about maternal health outcomes and promotes initiatives to address and eliminate its disparities. This day serves as a platform to educate healthcare providers on maternal mortality, urging birthing individuals, families, and healthcare professionals to identify and discuss potential signs of emergencies.
The resolution notes that more than 50,000 individuals in the United States suffer from potentially life threatening complications that arise from labor and childbirth, and recognizes community-based maternal health models that have been proven to improve the health of birthing people throughout the country. With one-third of maternal mortality cases occurring between one week and one year postpartum, expanding access to health care after delivery nationwide is a vital step to saving the lives of birthing people.
The resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
The full text of the resolution can be found here.
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