Supporting Preterm Birth Prevention

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues that we are in the midst of a maternal and infant health crisis.

The United States remains one of the most dangerous places to give birth among high-income countries, and we are trending in the wrong direction.

According to the recently released ``2023 March of Dimes Report Card: The State of Maternal and Infant Health for American Families,'' the United States maintained a D-plus grade for preterm birth for the second year in a row.

We saw only a modest 0.1 percent improvement in the preterm birthrate over the previous year, with the data showing persistent and compounding gaps in health equity that put moms and babies at risk.

Virginia is not far behind with a C grade. The preterm birthrate for 2022 was 9.7 percent, just 0.2 percent lower than the year before.

We must take decisive, comprehensive action to address these dual crises and improve public health outcomes for mothers and babies across the Nation. That is why, earlier this month, I introduced a bipartisan resolution with my colleagues to designate November as Prematurity Awareness Month. Our resolution aims to raise awareness about the risks and challenges associated with preterm babies and encourage communities to promote preterm prevention programs.

As is too often the case, minority populations, particularly Black women, experience disproportionately higher rates of preterm birth and other associated health challenges. The preterm birthrate among babies born to Black women is still 1\1/2\ times higher than the national average.

I am a Black mother to two young children, and I know this reality all too well. I was the first member of the Virginia House of Delegates to be pregnant and give birth while in office, and I almost died giving birth to my second child, Samantha.

Nine weeks prior to her due date, my placenta ruptured, and I was rushed to the emergency room for an emergency cesarean section. The last thing I remember is hearing my doctor say, ``I am here, and I will take care of this.'' Samantha was born 9 weeks early and spent the first 6 weeks of her life in the NICU at Henrico Doctors' Hospital. I will never forget the fear and anxiety that I felt.

This experience inspired me to take matters into my own hands as a State legislator to do everything in my power to improve healthcare resources for Virginians and tackle the maternal and infant health crisis.

Now, I am one of the few--less than 7 percent--mothers to young children in Congress. I am one of the even fewer 3 percent of Members of Congress who is a Black mother. I am proud to continue my efforts here in Congress on a bipartisan basis.

We can improve health outcomes and close longstanding health disparities by promoting awareness of this nationwide epidemic and encouraging parents and communities to take an active role in supporting preterm birth intervention programs.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution, and I am grateful for the bipartisan group of legislators who are supporting this effort. Together, we can make real progress on these issues, but only if we keep it a priority. We must because our children's lives depend on it.

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