Senate Resolution Recognizing March 14, 2025, as 'Black Midwives Day'

• •The resolution designates March 14, 2025, as 'Black Midwives Day'.
• •The maternal mortality rate for Black women is 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 14.5 for White women, 12.4 for Hispanic women, and 10.8 for Asian women.
• •Approximately 2,200,000 women of childbearing age in the U.S. live in 'maternity care deserts' with no access to obstetric providers or birth centers.
• •Black birthing people experience life-threatening maternal morbidities twice as often as White birthing people.
• •The number of Black midwives in the U.S. dropped from thousands to dozens between the 1920s and 1970s due to systemic factors.
• •Midwife-led care is associated with lower cesarean rates, fewer preterm births, and reduced medical interventions.
• •The resolution was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

This resolution serves as a formal statement of Congressional intent to prioritize the role of midwifery in addressing the U.S. maternal mortality crisis, which currently sees Black women dying at a rate of 50.3 per 100,000 live births.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.