The US outspends every other country for maternity care, yet is the only industrialized nation with a rising maternal mortality rate. Up to 34% of women experience their births as traumatic and around 1/3 of those women will develop PTSD. Maternity care in America is in crisis, and we are asking that you join us as a partner in change to reverse that trend – to work towards better, safer, more respectful care for all women, including more cost-effective approaches.
Why is this important?
H.R. 2286: MOMS Act provides comprehensive solutions, including a national consumer education campaign, so that families can make more informed decisions; federal research and national databasing of the most current, scientifically supported best practices; and improved education for maternity care professionals across the disciplines. It will also help to open up access to proven safer, less expensive options for maternity care, including birth centers (with a 6% national C-section rate), professional labor support (shown to decrease the incidence of Cesarean by 28%), and appropriate midwifery led care.
The cost savings – including to taxpayers, who pay for about half of all U.S. births – are enormous: around $5 billion each year by cutting the national Cesarean rate in half, to the safer levels suggested by the World Health Organization and other health organizations!
I urge you to support and cosponsor H.R. 2286 for all our families. Let’s end this maternity care crisis!
