--- title: SR 544. Black Maternal Health Week; recognize April 11-17, 2025 collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr544 cite_as: SR 544, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr544 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr544.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr544/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71984 date: 2025-04-04 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr543.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr545.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr544.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 544 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-04-04 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Kim Jackson - Tonya Anderson - Gail Davenport - Matt Brass - Harold Jones text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR544/2025 upstream_id: 2019451 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - maternal health - Black maternal health week - health disparities - women's health - Georgia Senate resolution --- # SR 544. Black Maternal Health Week; recognize April 11-17, 2025 ## Text 25 LC 112 3462 Senate Resolution 544 By: Senators Jackson of the 41st, Anderson of the 43rd, Davenport of the 17th, Brass of the 6th and Jones II of the 22nd A RESOLUTION Recognizing April 11-17, 2025, as Black Maternal Health Week; and for other purposes.1 WHEREAS, Black Maternal Health Week was founded by the Black Ma mas Matter2 Alliance, Inc., to bring national attention to the maternal and reproductive health crisis in the3 United States and the importance of reducing maternal mortality and morbidity among Black4 women and birthing persons; and5 WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in6 the United States are two to three times more likely than White women to die from7 pregnancy-related causes; and8 WHEREAS, Black women and individuals living in low-income and rural communities in9 the United States are among those most likely to suffer from li fe-threatening pregnancy10 complications, known as maternal morbidities; and11 WHEREAS, the United States has the highest maternal mortality r ate among affluent12 countries, in part because of the disproportionate mortality rate of Black women; and13 S. R. 544 - 1 - 25 LC 112 3462 WHEREAS, in 2023, the maternal mortality rate in the United States decreased for White,14 Hispanic, and Asian women but increased to 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births for Black15 women; and16 WHEREAS, the maternal mortality rate in Georgia is 32.1 deaths per 100,000 live births, and17 the infant mortality rate is 7.1 deaths per 1,000 live births; and18 WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has fou nd that more than 8019 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable; and20 WHEREAS, Black women are 50 percent more likely than all other women to give birth to21 premature, low birthweight, and very low birthweight infants; and22 WHEREAS, the high rates of maternal mortality among Black women persist across all23 income levels, education levels, and socioeconomic statuses; and24 WHEREAS, the leading causes of maternal mortality among Black w omen and birthing25 persons include eclampsia, preeclampsia, postpartum cardiomyopa thy, and obstetric26 embolism, all of which disproportionately impact Black women and birthing people; and27 WHEREAS, Georgia has the highest rate of Caesarean section deliveries with 35.8 percent28 of live births resulting in C-sections, and Black infants experienced the highest rate at 38.129 percent from 2021 to 2023; and30 WHEREAS, states and rural counties with higher Black population s experience severe31 maternity care deserts, where hospitals or birth centers offering obstetric care and obstetric32 providers are lacking, and access to reproductive health care providers is further diminished33 S. R. 544 - 2 - 25 LC 112 3462 due to low Medicaid reimbursements, rising costs, and persisten t health care workforce34 shortages; and35 WHEREAS, maternity care deserts lead to higher risks of maternal morbidity and mortality,36 as most complications occur in the postpartum period when birthing people are far from their37 providers; and38 WHEREAS, Black midwives, doulas, perinatal health workers, and community-based39 organizations provide holistic maternal care and support but face structural and legal barriers40 to licensure, reimbursement, and the provision of care; and41 WHEREAS, Black Maternal Health Week serves as an opportunity to deepen the national42 conversation about Black maternal health, amplify solutions, and center the voices of Black43 women, families, and stakeholders.44 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body45 recognize April 11-17, 2025, as Black Maternal Health Week.46 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed47 to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the48 press.49 S. R. 544 - 3 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution recognizes April 11-17, 2025 as Black Maternal Health Week, drawing attention to maternal mortality rates among Black women in Georgia and the United States. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it formally recognizes April 11-17, 2025 as Black Maternal Health Week, a national observance started by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to highlight maternal and reproductive health disparities affecting Black women. The resolution cites statistics on maternal mortality, including that Black women nationally are two to three times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related causes, and that Georgia's maternal mortality rate is 32.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. It also notes barriers such as maternity care deserts and licensure obstacles faced by Black midwives and doulas. The Senate directs its Secretary to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ### What it does - Formally recognizes April 11-17, 2025 as Black Maternal Health Week in the Georgia Senate. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and distribute copies of the resolution to the public and the press. - Does not create any new law, funding, program, or penalty; it is a symbolic statement by the Senate. ### Who it affects The resolution primarily concerns Black women and birthing persons in Georgia and nationally, along with maternal health advocates, midwives, doulas, and community organizations working on maternal health, though it creates no binding obligations for any group. ### Why it matters While the resolution changes no laws or funding, it puts the Georgia Senate on record acknowledging racial disparities in maternal mortality and health care access, which may raise public awareness and support ongoing policy discussions about maternal health in the state. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses cite CDC data showing Black women are two to three times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related causes. - It states Georgia's maternal mortality rate is 32.1 deaths per 100,000 live births and the infant mortality rate is 7.1 per 1,000 live births. - It notes Georgia has the highest Caesarean section rate in the country at 35.8 percent of live births, with Black infants at 38.1 percent. - The resolving clause designates April 11-17, 2025 as Black Maternal Health Week. - A further resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-04-04) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: Kim Jackson, Tonya Anderson, Gail Davenport, Matt Brass, Harold Jones - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71984 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr544.md?full=1