PRINTER'S NO. 2832
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
373
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY CURRY, MAYES, CEPHAS, PROBST, DONAHUE, BULLOCK,
GIRAL, HOHENSTEIN, WAXMAN, SCHLOSSBERG, VENKAT, KHAN,
PISCIOTTANO, SANCHEZ, KENYATTA, RABB, KINSEY, POWELL,
McANDREW, HANBIDGE, HILL-EVANS AND N. NELSON, APRIL 3, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, APRIL 3, 2024
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing the week of April 11 through 17, 2024, as "Black
Maternal Health Week" in Pennsylvania to bring attention to
the maternal health crisis and the importance of reducing
maternal mortality and morbidity among Black women and
birthing persons.
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Black women in the United States are 2.6 times more
likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related causes;
and
WHEREAS, Black women in the United States suffer from life-
threatening pregnancy complications, known as maternal
morbidities, twice as often as White women; and
WHEREAS, Maternal mortality rates in the United States are
among the highest of any member country of the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development and are increasing rapidly
from 17.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018, to 32.1 deaths
per 100,000 live births in 2021; and
WHEREAS, The United States has the highest maternal mortality
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rate among affluent countries, in part because of the
disproportionate maternal mortality rate of Black women; and
WHEREAS, The rate of preterm births among Black women is
nearly 50% higher than the preterm birth rate among White or
Hispanic women; and
WHEREAS, The high rates of maternal mortality among Black
women span across income levels, education levels and
socioeconomic status; and
WHEREAS, In 2018, the overall pregnancy-associated mortality
rate for Pennsylvania was 82 deaths per 100,000 live births; and
WHEREAS, In 2018, the pregnancy-associated mortality rate for
non-Hispanic Blacks was 163 deaths per 100,000 live births, two
times the rate of deaths for non-Hispanic Whites; and
WHEREAS, Individuals 40 years of age or older had a
pregnancy-associated mortality rate more than two times higher
than individuals 25 to 29 years of age, 30 to 34 years of age
and 35 to 39 years of age; and
WHEREAS, Fifty-eight percent of deaths occurred between 42
and 365 days of delivery, beyond the standard 60 days of medical
assistance coverage for pregnant women in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Ninety-two percent of pregnancy-related deaths in
Pennsylvania are considered preventable; and
WHEREAS, Fifty-three percent of cases of maternal death in
Pennsylvania between 2013 and 2018 affected mothers who were
enrolled in medical assistance when they delivered; and
WHEREAS, Approximately one-half of pregnancy-associated death
cases in Pennsylvania did not receive adequate prenatal care;
and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia County accounts for 20% of
Pennsylvania's maternal deaths with an average of 18 deaths per
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year; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia County's rate of pregnancy-related
deaths from 2013 to 2018 was approximately 20 per 100,000 live
births, which is higher than the 2018 national rate of 17.4 per
100,000 live births; and
WHEREAS, Pregnancy-related deaths for Black women and
birthing persons in Pittsburgh is higher than 97% of similar
cities in the United States, despite starting prenatal care
earlier than Black pregnant individuals in similar cities and
having lower rates of gestational diabetes, hypertension and
infection; and
WHEREAS, In Allegheny County at large, Black women are dying
at a rate three times higher than White women; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
week of April 11 through 17, 2024, as "Black Maternal Health
Week" in Pennsylvania to bring attention to the maternal health
crisis and the importance of reducing maternal mortality and
morbidity among Black women and birthing persons.
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