RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2026, AS "BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK" IN DELAWARE.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Minor-Brown & Rep. Kamela Smith & Sen. Pinkney & Sen. Lockman & Sen. Townsend

Reps. Berry, Bolden, Bush, Carson, Morrison, Osienski, Ross Levin, Snyder-Hall, Harris, S. Moore; Sens. Hoffner, Huxtable, Mantzavinos, Richardson, Seigfried, Sokola, Wilson, Brown, Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Lawson, Paradee, Pettyjohn, Poore, Sturgeon, Walsh

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 109

RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF APRIL 11 THROUGH APRIL 17, 2026, AS "BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK" IN DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, preventable maternal mortality is a human rights crisis in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income countries, and maternal deaths increased in the U.S. over the past two decades while most peer nations experience declines; and

WHEREAS, Black women in the U.S. suffer from life-threatening pregnancy complications twice as often as

White women, and they die from pregnancy-related complications four times as often as White women; and

WHEREAS, racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths across all income and education levels show that Black women in the U.S. are at a higher risk for poor outcomes than White women; and

WHEREAS, Delaware’s infant mortality rate is 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, which exceeds the national rate of 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births; and

WHEREAS, the infant mortality rate among Black infants in Delaware is 11.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, more than three times the rate among White infants, which is 3.5 deaths per 1,000 live births; and

WHEREAS, the infant mortality rate among Hispanic infants in Delaware is 4.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, which remains higher than the rate among White infants; and

WHEREAS, Irrespective of the place of residence, the 5-year Black (non-Hispanic) IMR was:

4.9 times of White (non-Hispanic) rate in City of Wilmington;

3.3 times of White (non-Hispanic) rate in Balance of New Castle County;

3 times of White (non-Hispanic) rate in Kent County;

3.3 times of White (non-Hispanic) in Sussex County; and

WHEREAS, the preterm birth is a major contributor to infant morbidity and mortality and in Delaware the preterm birth rate among non-Hispanic Black infants, at 13.5% is significantly higher than among non-Hispanic White infants at 9.5%; and

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware ranks 33rd in the nation for highest prevalence of infant mortality; and

WHEREAS, Delaware is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of women, infants and families throughout the state; and

WHEREAS, the State of Delaware, through the efforts of the Delaware Healthy Mother and Infant Consortium, the Delaware Perinatal Quality Collaborative, and many other public health partners and stakeholders, works to promote various promising efforts such as the OB Hemorrhage Initiative to reduce maternal and infant mortality, morbidity, and disparities; and improve

public and professional awareness of the issues related to improving maternal health outcomes, women’s experiences at

childbirth, and critical postpartum care, especially for women of color; and

WHEREAS, Delaware recognizes that every woman deserves quality, affordable, culturally respectful maternal health care, and reaffirms a statewide commitment to reducing maternal mortality, morbidity, and racial health disparities among Delaware women; and

WHEREAS, to tackle the problem of maternal mortality, Delaware is committed to developing a multi-faceted approach to addressing persistent and dire health disparities, and the social determinants of health, the conditions under which people live, work, and play; and

WHEREAS, to improve Delaware maternal and infant health outcomes we must prioritize Black women’s health and lives and commit to taking meaningful action; and

WHEREAS, all Delaware women have the right to safe and respectful maternal health care that supports healthy pregnancies and births; and

WHEREAS, in order to improve public and professional awareness of the issues related to Black maternal health and mortality, and to promote the various promising efforts to reduce Black maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities, it is both reasonable and appropriate to recognize the Black Maternal Health Awareness Week in the State of Delaware and to annually invite community members and health care professionals, during this week, to participate in appropriate activities relating to Black maternal health, safety, and mortality.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that we recognize April 11-17, 2026, as “Black Maternal Health Awareness Week” in Delaware.

SYNOPSIS

This House Concurrent Resolution recognizes the week of April 11-17, 2026, as "Black Maternal Health Awareness Week" in Delaware.