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On Tuesday (December 7), Vice President Kamala Harris marked the White House's very first Maternal Health Week, delivering remarks and a call to action on the urgent crisis the nation faces.
"This challenge is urgent, and it is important and it will take all of us, " VP Harris said. "And to put it simply, here's how I feel about htis: in the United States of America, in the 21st century, being pregnant and giving birth should not carry such great risk," she added. "Women in our nation are dying –– before, during and after childbirth."
"So, let us all say unequivocally, maternal mortality and morbidity is a serious crisis, and one that endangers both public health and economic growth, which means everyone is impacted by it," Harris continued.
"Because just think about it. Mothers are the backbone of our economy, and their children are the future of our economy."
Back in April, the Biden-Harris administration signed an official White House Proclamation to establish the Black Maternal Health Week, as the US continues to top the list of maternal deaths of any developed country.
For Black and Native women and pregnant people, the maternal mortality rate is disproportionately higher than any other racial group –– "regardless of income level, regardless of education level," Harris pointed out.
"And we know a primary reason why this is true: systemic inequities," Harris said.
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