ENROLLED
2025 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 22
BY REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER
A RESOLUTION
To designate April 11-17, 2025, as Black Maternal Health Week in Louisiana.
WHEREAS, the wonders of pregnancy and childbirth can mark the beginning joys
of motherhood, paving the way to a lifetime of happiness and fulfillment; while many
women experience pregnancy and childbirth with few challenges, each year there are women
who needlessly encounter short-term, long-term, and serious complications, some of which
can tragically result in death; and
WHEREAS, compared to white women, black women are more likely to experience
preventable maternal death; in 2020, the maternal mortality rate for black women was more
than fifty-five deaths per one hundred thousand live births; according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, eight hundred sixty-one women died of maternal
causes in the United States; in 2021, that number rose to one thousand two hundred five
women who died of maternal causes in this country, as reported by the National Center for
Health Statistics; this translates into more than thirty-three deaths per one hundred thousand
live births nationally; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana ranks highest among the fifty states for its maternal mortality
rate; according to the Louisiana Department of Health, black mothers are four times more
likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than their white counterparts; the alarming rate
of black maternal mortality in this state can be attributed to several factors including implicit
and systemic bias, socioeconomic status, lack of access to quality health care, and
insufficient health coverage; and
WHEREAS, experiencing pregnancy and childbirth should not be a death sentence
for any woman because of her station in life; reducing the number of preventable maternal
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deaths and addressing health disparities among women should be a top priority of this state;
it can be shown that improving health outcomes for pregnancy and childbirth not only
increases the survival rate of mothers but allows them to raise their own children thereby
benefitting the state as a whole; and
WHEREAS, it is essential to support every woman who experiences pregnancy and
childbirth; it is vital for healthcare providers to identify the signs of maternal complications
and diagnose them promptly and accurately, ensuring that the appropriate treatment is
rendered; and
WHEREAS, enhancing healthcare accessibility through the expansion of telehealth
services, midwives, and doulas to foster healthy pregnancies has yielded positive outcomes
in the community; and
WHEREAS, Black Maternal Health Week is dedicated to building awareness,
activism, and community and is recognized every year, from April 11-17, as part of the
observation of National Minority Health Month in April; and
WHEREAS, to increase awareness of maternal and infant health outcomes black
women endure, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., launched its initiative and essential
program, Project CRADLE Care, and has joined forces with many other organizations to
highlight and recognize Black Maternal Health Week.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby designate April 11-17, 2025, as Black Maternal Health
Week in Louisiana and does hereby encourage all Louisianians to support initiatives that
seek to improve maternal healthcare, especially for black mothers throughout the state.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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