Top Democrats are requesting a House hearing on the growing number of U.S. women dying during pregnancy or following childbirth.
In a letter sent to Republican leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee on Monday, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the committee, and Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas, the top Democrat on the health subcommittee, asked for a public hearing that would focus on rising death rates and discuss possible solutions.
“As the committee with broad jurisdiction over public health and women’s health issues, we have a responsibility to understand why more women die from pregnancy-related complications in the United States than in any other developed country and what we should be doing to combat this crisis,” Pallone and Green wrote in their letter. “We urge the committee to hold a hearing as soon as possible to begin considering proposals to reverse this unconscionable trend and help save the lives of American women.”
A House GOP aide said the health subcommittee will hold a hearing on the issue after the committee finishes its work on legislation to combat the opioid crisis.
Though many questions remain about the causes and risks associated with maternal deaths, experts already know that black women in the U.S. are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy or birth-related complications. More than 700 women in the U.S. die within a year after pregnancy, and obstetricians estimate that at least half of these deaths are preventable. Rates of death are higher than other developed nations, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Members of the House have been drawing attention to the issue. A bill introduced last week by Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., aims to extend the time that women can stay on Medicaid after they give birth and would collect data to find causes and trends associated with the deaths.
Another bill, the Ending Maternal Mortality Act, would direct officials to come up with a plan to halve maternal mortality over a decade.
- Correction: This article has been updated to correct the names of the bills.
