Two of the nation’s leading women’s health experts today applauded U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) for introducing the Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act (S. 425/H.R. 896). In a joint statement, Childbirth Connection Executive Director Maureen Corry and National Partnership for Women & Families President Debra L. Ness said:

“Despite the billions of dollars spent on maternity care in the United States each year, key indicators of maternal and newborn health have been stagnating or moving in the wrong direction. Our nation’s infant and maternal mortality rates are much too high, and our rates of prematurity, low birthweight babies and exclusive breastfeeding are far below those of other developed countries. We have a responsibility to improve the quality of care for mothers and babies and ensure women have access to the full range of services that are critical to optimal outcomes for both mother and newborn.

We strongly support the bill because it can improve maternal and child health in this country. It fosters safe, effective, evidence-based maternity care for all women and babies by supporting performance measurement, quality collaboratives, and patient experience surveys targeting this care.

We commend Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Representative Eliot Engel (D-NY) for introducing and championing this bill, and urge every member of Congress to make its passage a high priority.”