Blog Archives
Kira Johnson Act
The Kira Johnson Act makes investments in community-based organizations that are leading the charge to support moms. The bill also supports bias and racism training programs, research, and the establishment of Respectful Maternity Care Compliance Programs to address bias and racism, and to promote accountability in maternity care settings. The Kira Johnson Act will: 1. Establish a fund to provide robust funding directly to community-based organizations working to advance maternal health equity. 2. Provide funding for grant programs to implement and study consistent bias, racism, and discrimination trainings for all employees in maternity care settings. 3. Provide funding to establish Respectful Maternity Care Compliance Programs within hospitals to provide mechanisms for pregnant and postpartum patients to report instances of disrespect or evidence of racial, ethnic, or other types of bias and promote accountability.
Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act
The Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act will address climate change-related risks, making robust investments in initiatives to reduce levels of and exposure to extreme heat, air pollution, and other environmental threats to pregnant people, new moms, and their infants. The Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act will: 1. Invest in community-based programs to identify and address climate change-related maternal and infant health risks, particularly in communities of color. 2. Provide funding to health professional schools to prepare future nurses, doctors, and other health care workers to address climate change-related risks for patients. 3. Establish an NIH consortium to advance research on climate change and maternal & infant health. 4. Develop a comprehensive strategy to identify and designate climate change risk zones for pregnant and postpartum people and their babies.
Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act
The Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act provides funding to promote exemplary care for pregnant and postpartum people who are incarcerated jails to establish programs for pregnant and postpartum women in their facilities, including access to support for doulas and other perinatal health workers, counseling, reentry assistance, maternal-infant bonding opportunities, and diversionary programs to prevent incarceration for pregnant and postpartum people. The bill also commissions a comprehensive study to understand the scope of the maternal health crisis among incarcerated people and to make recommendations to prevent maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in American prisons and jails. Finally, the bill ties federal funding for state and local prisons and jails to prohibitions on the use of restraints for incarcerated pregnant people to end the practice of shackling.