STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

On 2026-09-24, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) delivered a floor speech titled "STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS" in the Senate.

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 152 (Thursday, September 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 152 (Thursday, September 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S4998-S5006] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS By Mr. DURBIN: S. 5515. A bill to improve Federal efforts with respect to the prevention of maternal mortality, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance. Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows S. 5515 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Community Access, Resources, and Empowerment for Moms Act'' or the ``CARE for Moms Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. Congress finds the following: (1) Every year, across the United States, nearly 4,000,000 women give birth, more than 1,000 women suffer fatal complications during pregnancy, while giving birth or during the postpartum period, and about 70,000 women suffer near- fatal, partum-related complications. (2) The maternal mortality rate is often used as a proxy to measure the overall health of a population. While the infant mortality rate in the United States has reached its lowest point, the risk of death for women in the United States during pregnancy, childbirth, or the postpartum period is higher than such risk in many other high-income countries. The estimated maternal mortality rate (deaths per 100,000 live births) for the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia, increased from 14.5 percent in 2000 to 32.0 in 2021. The United States is the only industrialized nation with a rising maternal mortality rate. (3) The National Vital Statistics System of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that in 2021, there were 32.9 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the United States. That ratio continues to exceed the rate in other high-income countries. (4) It is estimated that more than 80 percent of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable. (5) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the maternal mortality rate varies drastically for women by race and ethnicity. There are about 26.6 deaths per 100,000 live births for White women, 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births for non-Hispanic Black women, and 32.0 deaths per 100,000 live births for American Indian/Alaska Native women. While maternal mortality disparately impacts Black women, this urgent public health crisis traverses race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational background, and geography. (6) In the United States, non-Hispanic Black women are about 3 times more likely to die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth compared to non-Hispanic White women, which is one of the most disconcerting racial disparities in public health. This disparity widens in certain cities and States across the country. (7) According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the maternal mortality rate heightens with age, as women 40 and older die at a rate of 138.5 per 100,000 births compared to 20.4 per 100,000 for women under 25. This translates to women over 40 being 6.8 times more likely to die compared to their counterparts under 25 years of age. (8) The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the maternal health crisis. A study of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggested that pregnant women are at a significantly higher risk for severe outcomes, including death, from COVID-19 as compared to non-pregnant women. The COVID-19 pandemic also decreased access to prenatal and postpartum care. A study by the Government Accountability Office found that COVID-19 contributed to 25 percent of maternal deaths in 2020 and 2021. (9) The findings described in paragraphs (1) through (8) are of major concern to researchers, academics, members of the business community, and providers across the obstetric continuum represented by organizations such as-- (A) the American College of Nurse-Midwives; (B) the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; (C) the American Medical Association; (D) the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses; (E) the Black Mamas Matter Alliance; (F) the Black Women's Health Imperative; (G) the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative; (H) EverThrive Illinois; (I) the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative; (J) the March of Dimes; (K) the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives; (L) RH Impact: The Collaborative for Equity and Justice; (M) the National Partnership for Women & Families; (N) the National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association; (O) the Preeclampsia Foundation; (P) the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine; (Q) the What To Expect Project; (R) Tufts University School of Medicine Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice; (S) the Shades of Blue Project; (T) the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance; (U) the Tulane University Mary Amelia Center for Women's Health Equity Research; (V) In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda; and (W) Physicians for Reproductive Health. (10) Hemorrhage, cardiovascular and coronary conditions, cardiomyopathy, infection or sepsis, embolism, mental health conditions (including substance use disorder), hypertensive disorders, stroke and cerebrovascular accidents, and anesthesia complications are the predominant medical causes of maternal-related deaths and complications. Most of these conditions are largely preventable or manageable. Even when these conditions are not preventable, mortality and morbidity may be prevented when conditions are diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. (11) According to a study published by the Journal of Perinatal Education, doula-assisted mothers are 4 times less likely to have a low-birthweight baby, 2 times less likely to experience a birth complication involving themselves or their baby, and significantly more likely to initiate breastfeeding and human lactation. Doula care has also been shown to produce cost savings resulting in part from reduced rates of cesarean and pre-term births. (12) Intimate partner violence is one of the leading causes of maternal death, and women are more likely to experience intimate partner violence during pregnancy than at any other time in their lives. It is also more dangerous than pregnancy. Intimate partner violence during pregnancy and postpartum crosses every demographic and has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. (13) Oral health is an important part of perinatal health. Reducing bacteria in a woman's mouth during pregnancy can significantly reduce her risk of developing oral diseases and spreading decay-causing bacteria to her baby. Moreover, some evidence suggests that women with periodontal disease during pregnancy could be at greater risk for poor birth outcomes, such as preeclampsia, pre-term birth, and low-birth weight. Furthermore, a woman's oral health during pregnancy is a good predictor of her newborn's oral health, and since mothers can [[Page S4999]] unintentionally spread oral bacteria to their babies, putting their children at higher risk for tooth decay, prevention efforts should happen even before children are born, as a matter of pre-pregnancy health and prenatal care during pregnancy. (14) In the United States, death reporting and analysis is a State function rather than a Federal process. States report all deaths--including maternal deaths--on a semi-voluntary basis, without standardization across States. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the capacity and system for collecting death-related data based on death certificates, these data are not sufficiently reported by States in an organized and standard format across States such that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is able to identify causes of maternal death and best practices for the prevention of such death. (15) Vital statistics systems often underestimate maternal mortality and are insufficient data sources from which to derive a full scope of medical and social determinant factors contributing to maternal deaths, such as intimate partner violence. While the addition of pregnancy checkboxes on death certificates since 2003 have likely improved States' abilities to identify pregnancy-related deaths, they are not generally completed by obstetric providers or persons trained to recognize pregnancy-related mortality. Thus, these vital forms may be missing information or may capture inconsistent data. Due to varying maternal mortality-related analyses, lack of reliability, and granularity in data, current maternal mortality informatics do not fully encapsulate the myriad medical and socially determinant factors that contribute to such high maternal mortality rates within the United States compared to other developed nations. Lack of standardization of data and data sharing across States and between Federal entities, health networks, and research institutions keep the United States in the dark about ways to prevent maternal deaths. (16) Having reliable and valid State data aggregated at the Federal level are critical to the ability of the United States to quell surges in maternal death and imperative for researchers to identify long-lasting interventions. (17) Leaders in maternal wellness highly recommend that maternal deaths and cases of maternal morbidity, including complications that result in chronic illness and future increased risk of death, be investigated at the State level first, and that standardized, streamlined, de-identified data regarding maternal deaths be sent annually to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such data standardization

Referenced legislation: S5515, S5515, S5549, S5558, S5559, S5560, S5563