Black Maternal Health Caucus

{{Infobox political party

| name = Black Maternal Health Caucus

| colorcode =

| foundation = {{Start date and age|2019|4|9}}

| position = Multi-partisan congressional caucus (Mission: "The Black Maternal Health Caucus aims to raise awareness within Congress to establish Black maternal health as a national priority, and explore and advocate for effective, evidence-based, culturally-competent policies and best practices for health outcomes for Black mothers."

| colors =

| seats2_title = Seats in the House

| seats2 = {{composition bar|111|435|hex=#A9A9A9}}

| seats3_title = Seats in the Senate

| seats3 = {{composition bar|0|100|hex=#A9A9A9}}

| country = the United States

| headquarters = Washington, D.C., USA

| founder =

| international =

|website = {{URL|https://blackmaternalhealthcaucus-underwood.house.gov/}}

}}The Black Maternal Health Caucus is a caucus made up of mostly African-American members of the United States Congress.{{Cite web |last=Minutaglio |first=Rose |date=2019-04-12 |title=Black Mothers Are Dying At Alarming Rates. Rep. Lauren Underwood Wants Congress to Do Something About It. |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/a27116431/black-maternal-health-caucus-lauren-underwood-alma-adams/ |access-date=2019-07-25 |website=ELLE |language=en-US}} Congresswomen Alma Adams of North Carolina and Lauren Underwood of Illinois founded the caucus in April 2019 and currently serve as co-chairs.{{Cite web |date=2019-04-09 |title=Congresswomen Adams and Underwood Launch Black Maternal Health Caucus |url=https://adams.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congresswomen-adams-and-underwood-launch-black-maternal-health-caucus |access-date=2019-07-25 |website=Congresswoman Alma Adams |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Frazin |first=Rachel |date=2019-04-09 |title=Dem lawmakers form Black Maternal Health Caucus |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/438004-dem-reps-form-black-maternal-health-caucus |access-date=2019-07-25 |website=The Hill |language=en}}

Purpose

The Black Maternal Health Caucus was founded to 'improve black maternal health outcomes,' with the founders citing statistics that the United States has the worst maternal death rates in the developed world, at 18 death per 100,00 live births, and with a higher rate among black women, at 40 deaths per 100,000 live births.{{Cite web |date=9 April 2019 |title=House forms first Black Maternal Health Caucus |url=https://thinkprogress.org/house-forms-first-ever-black-maternal-health-caucus-alma-adams-lauren-underwood-32791417ffd7/ |access-date=2019-07-25 |website=ThinkProgress |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=America |first=Good Morning |title=Female lawmakers launch 1st Black Maternal Health Caucus |url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/female-lawmakers-launch-1st-black-maternal-health-caucus-62305080 |access-date=2019-07-25 |website=Good Morning America |language=en}}

History

Shortly after the formation of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, Senator Kamala Harris sponsored the Maternal CARE Act.{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Kamala D. |date=2019-05-22 |title=Text - S.1600 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Maternal CARE Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1600/text |access-date=2021-04-25 |website=www.congress.gov}} If passed, the Maternal CARE Act would serve to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity by providing implicit bias training as a solution for addressing racial bias in health care.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

As of 2019, seventy-five members of the United States House of Representatives belong to the caucus, including support from Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and other leaders within the Democratic caucus.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-24 |title=Black Maternal Health Caucus Celebrates Passage of Priorities in Appropriations Bill |url=https://underwood.house.gov/media/press-releases/black-maternal-health-caucus-celebrates-passage-priorities-appropriations-bill |access-date=2019-07-25 |website=Representative Lauren Underwood |language=en}}

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States highlighted racial disparities in healthcare. Many Black women requiring hospitalization were dying at alarming rates compared to other racial groups.{{Cite web |date=2021-04-19 |title=In Q&A, VP Harris calls for urgent action on the Black maternal health crisis |url=https://www.statnews.com/2021/04/19/kamala-harris-black-maternal-health-momnibus/ |access-date=2021-04-25 |website=STAT |language=en-US}}

In 2021, an updated Momnibus was introduced. Sponsoring members of the House of Representatives of include: Sheila Jackson Lee, Nikema Williams, and Jamie Raskin.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-07 |title=Black Maternal Health Momnibus |url=https://blackmaternalhealthcaucus-underwood.house.gov/Momnibus |access-date=2021-04-25 |website=Black Maternal Health Caucus |language=en}} The term "Momnibus" is a word play on "omnibus," which is a single bill submitted to a legislature that combines several diverse matters.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Legislation

In March 2020, Lauren Underwood introduced the Momnibus Package, "which would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to publicly post data on COVID-19 and pregnancy, disaggregated by race and ethnicity".{{Cite web |title=Lawmakers to Reintroduce Sweeping Maternal Health Bill |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-02-05/lawmakers-to-reintroduce-maternal-health-momnibus-in-congress |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205161959/https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-02-05/lawmakers-to-reintroduce-maternal-health-momnibus-in-congress |archive-date=2021-02-05}} In May 2023, the legislation, consisting of 13 individual bills, was endorsed by over 200 organizations and Black maternal health advocates, including Planned Parenthood Action Fund, March of Dimes, Christy Turlington Burns, and Christine Michel Carter.{{Cite web |date=2020-03-07 |title=Black Maternal Health Momnibus |url=http://blackmaternalhealthcaucus-underwood.house.gov/Momnibus |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=Black Maternal Health Caucus |language=en}}