HR 117 — A Resolution recognizing March 14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   955

                     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 AND ABNEY, MARCH 13, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, MARCH 13, 2025


                                  A RESOLUTION
 1   Recognizing March 14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day" in
 2      Pennsylvania.
 3         WHEREAS, Black midwives have made longstanding and invaluable
 4   contributions to maternal and infant health in Pennsylvania; and
 5         WHEREAS, Recognizing March 14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day"
 6   amplifies the significance of midwifery in achieving better
 7   maternal health outcomes by creating greater access to high-
 8   quality maternal health care, especially in maternal health
 9   deserts; and
10         WHEREAS, The "Black Midwives Day" campaign, founded and led
11   by the National Black Midwives Alliance in 2023, is a day of
12   awareness, activism, celebration, education, advocacy and
13   historical preservation; and
14         WHEREAS, "Black Midwives Day" is an opportunity to
15   acknowledge the fight to end maternal mortality in Pennsylvania;
16   and
17         WHEREAS, In 2020, the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for
 1   Black women in this Commonwealth was almost three times greater
 2   than the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for White women; and
 3      WHEREAS, High rates of maternal mortality among Black women
 4   are consistent among socioeconomic statuses and education
 5   levels; and
 6      WHEREAS, Maternal morbidities have devastating effects for
 7   families and communities, and 93.5% of pregnancy-related
 8   maternal deaths that occurred in this Commonwealth in 2020 were
 9   deemed preventable; and
10      WHEREAS, A lack of access to quality, affordable health care
11   and postpartum care, delays in the recognition of risks and
12   complications associated with pregnancy, systemic discrimination
13   and implicit bias contribute to the high mortality rate among
14   Black women; and
15      WHEREAS, Black communities are also among those most affected
16   by maternity care deserts, where there is a lack of maternity
17   health care resources and no hospitals, birth centers or
18   providers offering obstetric care; and
19      WHEREAS, Other pregnancy complications, including chronic
20   heart disease, hypertension, preeclampsia, hemorrhage and
21   diabetes, also disproportionately affect Black women; and
22      WHEREAS, Black women are more likely to experience
23   mistreatment by health care providers, such as being ignored or
24   denied care in a reasonable amount of time; and
25      WHEREAS, The practice of midwifery is built upon a
26   relationship-centered approach between the midwife and the
27   pregnant woman, with an emphasis on the pregnant woman's
28   autonomy; and
29      WHEREAS, Increasing the number of Black midwives in the
30   workforce is critical to addressing maternal health disparities,

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 1   as Black midwives offer care that builds trust, enhances
 2   maternal satisfaction with the pregnancy, birthing and
 3   postpartum experience and improves health outcomes for Black
 4   mothers and their babies; and
 5         WHEREAS, Midwifery-led care has been shown to result in cost
 6   savings, reduced medical interventions, lower cesarean rates,
 7   decreased preterm births and improved health outcomes for both
 8   mothers and babies; and
 9         WHEREAS, Midwives are trained to provide obstetric and
10   gynecological care during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum;
11   and
12         WHEREAS, Midwives may provide essential maternal health care
13   services in a variety of settings in hospitals, clinics, birth
14   centers, homes or community-based settings, ensuring
15   accessibility and continuity of care; and
16         WHEREAS, Black maternity care deserts lead to higher risks of
17   maternal morbidity and mortality as most complications occur in
18   the postpartum period when pregnant women are far away from
19   their health care providers; and
20         WHEREAS, Black communities benefit from access to Black
21   midwives for culturally sensitive and congruent care; and
22         WHEREAS, A lack of affordable training opportunities,
23   financial barriers, State laws and variances in insurance
24   coverage currently limit the capacity to practice midwifery,
25   especially Black midwifery, in hospitals and birth centers; and
26         WHEREAS, Greater levels of integration of midwives across
27   health care settings are associated with significantly higher
28   rates of physiologic birth, less obstetric interventions and
29   fewer adverse neonatal outcomes; and
30         WHEREAS, Integrating midwives across health care settings

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 1   would be instrumental in reducing maternal health disparities
 2   and addressing both maternity care deserts and health care
 3   provider shortages; and
 4         WHEREAS, Black midwives have offered high-quality care
 5   throughout history, despite experiencing persecution,
 6   enslavement, violence, racism and the systematic erasure of
 7   their work; and
 8         WHEREAS, The resurgence of Black midwifery is a testament to
 9   the resilience, resistance and determination of spirit in the
10   preservation of healing modalities practiced all over the world;
11   and
12         WHEREAS, The National Black Midwives Alliance campaign aims
13   to bring visibility to issues impacting Black midwives and the
14   communities in which they work and promotes awareness, activism,
15   education and community building in recognizing "Black Midwives
16   Day"; and
17         WHEREAS, "Black Midwives Day" is important in raising
18   awareness on the state of Black maternal health, the causes of
19   poor maternal health outcomes and the health disparities
20   impacting Black communities, while offering an opportunity to
21   acknowledge efforts to end maternal mortality on the local,
22   national and global levels; and
23         WHEREAS, In recognizing "Black Midwives Day," the
24   Commonwealth will recognize and emphasize the importance of
25   Black midwifery in addressing gaps to access high-quality care
26   and achieving better maternal health outcomes; therefore be it
27         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize March
28   14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day" in Pennsylvania.




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