SR 24 — A resolution to commemorate April 11-17, 2025, as Black Maternal Health Week.

SR-24,MICHIGAN As Adopted by Senate, April 16, 2025 SENATE RESOLUTIONSenate NO.Resolution No.

24 Offered by Senators Geiss, Anthony, Bayer, Chang, Cherry, Damoose, Irwin, Klinefelt, McCann, McMorrow, Moss, Polehanki, Santana, Shink and Wojno offeredA RESOLUTION TO COMMEMORATE APRIL 11-17 ,2025 , AS BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK WHEREAS, According to the followingCenters resolution:for Disease Control (CDC), Black mothers in the United States (U.S.) die at two to three times the rate of white mothers;

Aand resolutionWHEREAS, toThe commemorateCDC Aprildata 11-17,from 2025,2023 asfor Blackpregnancy-related Maternaldeaths Healthshows Week.that maternal mortality rates are disproportionately high:

Whereas, According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Black mothers in the United States (U.S.) die at two to three times the rate of white mothers;

and Whereas, The CDC data from 2023 for pregnancy-related deaths shows that maternal mortality rates are disproportionately high:

and Whereas,WHEREAS, Among high-income nations, the U.S.

has some of the worst rates of maternal and infant health outcomes, despite Black Maternal Health_SR24_AA_1 mn91ar 1 spending an estimated $111 billion per year on maternal, prenatal, and newborn care;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, At 14.8 percent, Black women have the highest percentage of U.S.

and Whereas,WHEREAS, Disparities in maternal and infant mortality are rooted in structural racism.

and Whereas,WHEREAS, Black women are more likely to quit, be fired, or return to work before they are healthy after giving birth due to inadequate family and medical leave policies;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, Black maternal death is one of the widest, but not the only racial disparities in women’s health;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, Black women are 22 percent more likely to die from heart disease than white women, 71 percent more likely to die from cervical cancer, and three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related or childbirth-related causes;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, According to the National Institutes of Health, when compared with white women with the conditions of preeclampsia, eclampsia, abruptio placentae, placenta previa, and postpartum hemorrhage, which are common causes of maternal death and injury, Black women are three to four times more likely to die than white women who had the same condition;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, Black women are more likely to experience reproductive health disorders such as fibroids, and are three times more likely to have endometriosis;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, According to the Michigan Maternal Mortality Surveillance Project, between 2016 to 2020, Black women in Michigan Black Maternal Health_SR24_AA_1 mn91ar 1 experienced a pregnancy-related mortality rate of 36.5 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to 16.316.3 deaths deaths per 100,000 live births for white women in Michigan;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, According to the Commonwealth Fund, the U.S.

has the highest maternal death rate in high income countries in which two-two-thirds thirds of all recorded deaths are deemed to be preventable.

and Whereas,WHEREAS, These alarming statistics for Black maternal health cut across socio-economic status, maternal age, and education levels;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, We recognize the necessity for increased attention to the state for Black maternal healthcare as well as the need to study and understand the root causes of the discrepancies in maternal health outcomes;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, We support community-driven programs, care solutions, the improvement of prenatal care and overall maternal healthcare, the improvement of breastfeeding rates and nutrition, and the amplification of the voices of Black mothers, women, families, and stakeholders, including Black women from across the diaspora and Afro-Latinx groups;

and Whereas,WHEREAS, We also recognize the necessity to end maternal mortality statewide, nationally, and globally in order to strengthen the need for maternal health and maternal rights;

now, therefore, be it ResolvedRESOLVED byBY theTHE Senate,SENATE, That the members of this legislative body commemorate April 11-17, 2025, as Black Maternal Health Week.

BlackAdopted Maternalby Health_SR24_AA_1the mn91arSenate, April 16, 2025.

Secretary of the Senate