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HRES 1022 IHEH

Whereas more thanan estimated 536,000 women die during pregnancy and childbirth every year which is equivalent to one death every minute;

Whereas inan estimated 15 percent of all pregnancies, thepregnancies and childbirths involve unpredictable and often life-threatening complications are life-threateningthat require emergency care;

Whereas girls under 15 are estimated to be 5 times more likely to die induring childbirth than women in their 20s;

Whereas nearly all these deaths are preventable;

Whereas survival rates greatly depend upon the distance and time a woman must travel to get skilled emergency medical care;

Whereas care by skilled birth attendants, nurses, midwives, or doctors during pregnancy and childbirth, including emergency services, and care for mothers and newborns is essential;

Whereas the poorer the household, the greater the risk of maternal death, and 99 percent of maternal deaths occur in developing countries;

Whereas newborns whose mothers die of any cause are 3 to 10 times more likely to die within 2 years than those whose mothers survive;

Whereas more than 1,000,000 children are left motherless and vulnerable every year;

Whereas young girls are often pulled from school and required to fill their lost mother's roles;

Whereas a mother's death lowers family income and productivity which affects the entire community;

Whereas in countries with similar levels of economic development, maternal mortality is highest where women's status is lowest;

Whereas the United States ranks 41st among 171 countries in the latest UN list ranking maternal mortality;

Whereas the overall United States maternal mortality ratio is now 11 deaths per 100,000 live births, one of the highest rates among industrialized nations;

Whereas United States maternal deaths have remained roughly stable since 1982 and have not declined significantly since then;

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control estimates that the true level of United States maternal deaths may be 1.3 to 3 times higher than the reported rate; and

Whereas ethnic and racial disparities in maternal mortality rates persist and in the United States maternal mortality among black women is almost four times the rate among non-Hispanic white women: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) makes a strongeraffirms its commitment to reducpromoting maternal mortalityhealth and child survival both at home and abroad through greater financiinternational investment and participation in global initiatives; and

(2) recognizes maternal health and child survival as a human rightfundamental to the well-being of families and societies, and to global development and prosperity.

Clerk.