HR 450 — A Resolution recognizing March 31, 2026, as "Black Midwives Day" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   3048

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



              HOUSE RESOLUTION
                 No. 450
                                                 Session of
                                                   2026

     INTRODUCED BY MAYES, M. BROWN, VENKAT, ABNEY, PROBST, HANBIDGE,
        HILL-EVANS, STEELE, WAXMAN, CURRY, OTTEN, KAZEEM, CEPEDA-
        FREYTIZ, GUZMAN, HOHENSTEIN, KHAN, McANDREW, SHUSTERMAN,
        GREEN, PIELLI, O'MARA, McNEILL, FLEMING, BOROWSKI, DALEY,
        CEPHAS AND RIVERA, MARCH 19, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH, MARCH 23, 2026


                                  A RESOLUTION
 1   Recognizing March 31, 2026, 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 31, 2026, 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 2022, recognized
12   nationally on March 14, 2026, is a day of awareness, activism,
13   celebration, education, advocacy and historical preservation;
14   and
15         WHEREAS, "Black Midwives Day" is an opportunity to
16   acknowledge the fight to end maternal mortality in Pennsylvania;
 1   and
 2         WHEREAS, In 2021, the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for
 3   non-Hispanic Black women in this Commonwealth was 60 deaths per
 4   100,000 live births, more than twice as high as the pregnancy-
 5   related mortality ratio of 28 deaths per 100,000 live births for
 6   non-Hispanic White women; and
 7         WHEREAS, Research shows that Black women are more likely to
 8   experience increased maternal mortality if they are educated and
 9   have a higher socioeconomic status, the reverse of conventional
10   belief; and
11         WHEREAS, According to the 2025 Pennsylvania Maternal
12   Mortality Review Annual Report, maternal morbidities have
13   devastating effects for families and communities, and 98% of
14   pregnancy-related maternal deaths that occurred in this
15   Commonwealth in 2021 were deemed preventable, an increase from
16   93.5% preventable deaths in 2020; and
17         WHEREAS, According to the Journal of Women's Health and the
18   Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a lack of access to
19   quality, affordable health care and postpartum care, delays in
20   the recognition of risks and complications and denial of
21   adequate care associated with pregnancy, systemic discrimination
22   and implicit bias, including ignoring patient concerns in health
23   care, contribute to the high mortality rate among Black women;
24   and
25         WHEREAS, Black communities and rural communities are also
26   among those most affected by maternity care deserts, where there
27   is a lack of maternity health care resources and no hospitals,
28   birth centers or providers offering obstetric care; and
29         WHEREAS, Other pregnancy complications, including chronic
30   heart disease, hypertension, preeclampsia, hemorrhage and

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 1   diabetes, also disproportionately affect Black women; and
 2         WHEREAS, The practice of midwifery is built upon a
 3   relationship-centered approach between the midwife and the
 4   pregnant woman, with an emphasis on the pregnant woman's
 5   autonomy; and
 6         WHEREAS, Increasing the number of Black midwives in the
 7   workforce is critical to addressing maternal health disparities,
 8   as Black midwives offer care that builds trust, reduces trauma,
 9   enhances maternal satisfaction with the pregnancy experience,
10   birthing and postpartum experience and improves health outcomes
11   for Black mothers and their babies; and
12         WHEREAS, Midwifery-led care has been shown to result in cost
13   savings, reduced medical interventions, lower cesarean rates,
14   decreased preterm births and improved health outcomes for both
15   mothers and babies; and
16         WHEREAS, Midwives are trained to provide obstetric and
17   gynecological care during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum;
18   and
19         WHEREAS, Midwives may provide essential maternal health care
20   services in a variety of settings in hospitals, clinics, birth
21   centers, homes or community-based settings, ensuring
22   accessibility and continuity of care; and
23         WHEREAS, Black maternity care deserts lead to higher risks of
24   maternal morbidity and mortality as most complications occur in
25   the postpartum period when pregnant women are far away from
26   their health care providers; and
27         WHEREAS, Black communities benefit from access to Black
28   midwives for culturally sensitive and congruent care; and
29         WHEREAS, A lack of affordable training opportunities,
30   financial barriers, State laws and variances in insurance

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 1   coverage currently limit the capacity to practice midwifery,
 2   especially Black midwifery, in hospitals and birth centers; and
 3         WHEREAS, Greater levels of integration of midwives across
 4   health care settings are associated with significantly higher
 5   rates of physiologic birth, less obstetric interventions and
 6   fewer adverse neonatal outcomes; and
 7         WHEREAS, Integrating midwives across health care settings
 8   would be instrumental in reducing maternal health disparities
 9   and addressing both maternity care deserts and health care
10   provider shortages; and
11         WHEREAS, Black midwives have offered high-quality care
12   throughout history, despite experiencing persecution,
13   enslavement, violence, racism and the systematic erasure of
14   their work; and
15         WHEREAS, The resurgence of Black midwifery is a testament to
16   the resilience, resistance and determination of spirit in the
17   preservation of healing modalities practiced all over the world;
18   and
19         WHEREAS, The National Black Midwives Alliance campaign aims
20   to bring visibility to issues impacting Black midwives and the
21   communities in which they work and promotes awareness, activism,
22   education and community building in recognizing "Black Midwives
23   Day"; and
24         WHEREAS, "Black Midwives Day" is important in raising
25   awareness on the state of Black maternal health, the causes of
26   poor maternal health outcomes and the health disparities
27   impacting Black communities, while offering an opportunity to
28   acknowledge efforts to end maternal mortality on the local,
29   national and global levels; and
30         WHEREAS, In recognizing "Black Midwives Day," the

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1   Commonwealth will recognize and emphasize the importance of
2   Black midwifery in addressing gaps to access high-quality care
3   and achieving better maternal health outcomes; therefore be it
4      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize March
5   31, 2026, as "Black Midwives Day" in Pennsylvania.




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