Rep. Sykes Recognizes Black Maternal Health Week

Rep. Sykes Recognizes Black Maternal Health Week

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) is recognizing Black Maternal Health Week, observed April 11-17, by highlighting her work to lower health care costs, expand access to care, and strengthen public health and safety across Ohio's 13th Congressional District.

Nationwide, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Ohio, the overall maternal mortality rate rose slightly from 10.7 deaths per 100,000 births in 1999 to 10.8 in 2019, while the rate for Black women more than doubled - from 29.3 to 59.7 per 100,000 - according to a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association on maternal mortality trends.

"As a longtime champion for improving Black maternal and infant health, I'm here to say enough is enough," said Rep. Sykes. "Black mothers deserve to feel safe and supported throughout pregnancy and postpartum care. Every mom is entitled to high-quality, affordable care, and addressing maternal mortality is not a partisan issue, it's a human issue. I will keep fighting to ensure every family has the care they need to live long, healthy lives."

During her tenure as Minority Leader of the Ohio House, Rep. Sykes co-founded the first Ohio Black Maternal Health Caucus to address high infant and maternal mortality rates. In Congress, she is a member of the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus and Chair of the Reproductive Justice Task Force of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus.

Rep. Sykes is an original co-sponsor of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, comprehensive legislation to combat maternal mortality by investing in community-based organizations, strengthening the maternal health workforce, improving data collection, and addressing social determinants of health. She has also introduced key legislation to protect maternal health, including a resolution reaffirming access to emergency abortion care under EMTALA and the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act to crack down on deceptive practices by crisis pregnancy centers.

In Ohio, Black mothers are more likely to rely on Medicaid coverage, underscoring the importance of protecting access to affordable care. Rep. Sykes voted against Republicans' Big Ugly Bill, now signed into law, which cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and cancelled coverage for millions of Americans. She also supports legislation that would reverse these cuts (Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act) and cuts to Planned Parenthood Clinics (Restoring Essential Healthcare Act), which provide essential care to thousands of Ohioans.

Thirteen of Ohio's 88 counties are maternity care deserts, leaving tens of thousands of women with reduced access to critical services. Rep. Sykes will continue to fight to expand access to care for all Ohioans.