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
Recognizing March 14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day" in
Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, Black midwives have made longstanding and invaluable
contributions to maternal and infant health in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Recognizing March 14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day"
amplifies the significance of midwifery in achieving better
maternal health outcomes by creating greater access to high-
quality maternal health care, especially in maternal health
deserts; and
WHEREAS, The "Black Midwives Day" campaign, founded and led
by the National Black Midwives Alliance in 2023, is a day of
awareness, activism, celebration, education, advocacy and
historical preservation; and
WHEREAS, "Black Midwives Day" is an opportunity to
acknowledge the fight to end maternal mortality in Pennsylvania;
and
WHEREAS, In 2020, the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for
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17 Black women in this Commonwealth was almost three times greater
than the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for White women; and
WHEREAS, High rates of maternal mortality among Black women
are consistent among socioeconomic statuses and education
levels; and
WHEREAS, Maternal morbidities have devastating effects for
families and communities, and 93.5% of pregnancy-related
maternal deaths that occurred in this Commonwealth in 2020 were
deemed preventable; and
WHEREAS, A lack of access to quality, affordable health care
and postpartum care, delays in the recognition of risks and
complications associated with pregnancy, systemic discrimination
and implicit bias contribute to the high mortality rate among
Black women; and
WHEREAS, Black communities are also among those most affected
by maternity care deserts, where there is a lack of maternity
health care resources and no hospitals, birth centers or
providers offering obstetric care; and
WHEREAS, Other pregnancy complications, including chronic
heart disease, hypertension, preeclampsia, hemorrhage and
diabetes, also disproportionately affect Black women; and
WHEREAS, Black women are more likely to experience
mistreatment by health care providers, such as being ignored or
denied care in a reasonable amount of time; and
WHEREAS, The practice of midwifery is built upon a
relationship-centered approach between the midwife and the
pregnant woman, with an emphasis on the pregnant woman's
autonomy; and
WHEREAS, Increasing the number of Black midwives in the
workforce is critical to addressing maternal health disparities,
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30 as Black midwives offer care that builds trust, enhances
maternal satisfaction with the pregnancy, birthing and
postpartum experience and improves health outcomes for Black
mothers and their babies; and
WHEREAS, Midwifery-led care has been shown to result in cost
savings, reduced medical interventions, lower cesarean rates,
decreased preterm births and improved health outcomes for both
mothers and babies; and
WHEREAS, Midwives are trained to provide obstetric and
gynecological care during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum;
and
WHEREAS, Midwives may provide essential maternal health care
services in a variety of settings in hospitals, clinics, birth
centers, homes or community-based settings, ensuring
accessibility and continuity of care; and
WHEREAS, Black maternity care deserts lead to higher risks of
maternal morbidity and mortality as most complications occur in
the postpartum period when pregnant women are far away from
their health care providers; and
WHEREAS, Black communities benefit from access to Black
midwives for culturally sensitive and congruent care; and
WHEREAS, A lack of affordable training opportunities,
financial barriers, State laws and variances in insurance
coverage currently limit the capacity to practice midwifery,
especially Black midwifery, in hospitals and birth centers; and
WHEREAS, Greater levels of integration of midwives across
health care settings are associated with significantly higher
rates of physiologic birth, less obstetric interventions and
fewer adverse neonatal outcomes; and
WHEREAS, Integrating midwives across health care settings
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30 would be instrumental in reducing maternal health disparities
and addressing both maternity care deserts and health care
provider shortages; and
WHEREAS, Black midwives have offered high-quality care
throughout history, despite experiencing persecution,
enslavement, violence, racism and the systematic erasure of
their work; and
WHEREAS, The resurgence of Black midwifery is a testament to
the resilience, resistance and determination of spirit in the
preservation of healing modalities practiced all over the world;
and
WHEREAS, The National Black Midwives Alliance campaign aims
to bring visibility to issues impacting Black midwives and the
communities in which they work and promotes awareness, activism,
education and community building in recognizing "Black Midwives
Day"; and
WHEREAS, "Black Midwives Day" is important in raising
awareness on the state of Black maternal health, the causes of
poor maternal health outcomes and the health disparities
impacting Black communities, while offering an opportunity to
acknowledge efforts to end maternal mortality on the local,
national and global levels; and
WHEREAS, In recognizing "Black Midwives Day," the
Commonwealth will recognize and emphasize the importance of
Black midwifery in addressing gaps to access high-quality care
and achieving better maternal health outcomes; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize March
14, 2025, as "Black Midwives Day" in Pennsylvania.
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