Improving Access to Maternity Care Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1209, the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; and I want to thank Dr. Burgess and my dear colleague, Lois Capps from California, for offering this important piece of legislation.
It would require the Health Resources and Services Administration, HRSA, to better identify areas with increased need for maternity care services. This will help ensure the placement of maternity care providers within the National Health Service Corps to areas with the most need for their services.

While global maternal mortality rates have fallen by more than one- third from 2000 to 2015, the maternal mortality rate in the United States has actually increased. In 2015, 25 women lost their lives during pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 births in the U.S. compared to 23 women who did so in 2000.

It is clear that we must do more to reverse this troubling trend.

Congress must make it a priority to ensure all women have access to the prenatal and maternity care services needed to prevent maternal mortality.

I support H.R. 1209 because it will help expand access to prenatal and maternity care services in the areas where there is the most need.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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