Washington, D.C. — Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 1318, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018. Rep. Herrera Beutler’s bill will address the complex issue of maternal mortality by enabling states to form maternal mortality review committees to evaluate, improve, and standardize their maternal death data.

“All pregnancy-related and pregnancy-associated deaths are tragic, and some are preventable. Every one of us must do a better job ensuring quality care for mothers throughout pregnancy and during the post-partum period,” said Dr. Burgess. “As an OB/GYN for nearly three decades and chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, I believe it should be a national goal to eliminate all preventable maternal deaths - a single one is too many. For families in North Texas and around the country, the passage of this bill has personal significance, and I am grateful that many have contributed their voices to this effort. I thank Rep. Herrera Beutler for her dedication to our nation’s mothers and for shining light on this critical issue. The Senate should consider this bill and send it to President Trump’s desk as soon as possible.” 

“Today marks an important day in addressing our country’s maternal mortality crisis, as this is the largest step Congress has taken to date to reverse it. By providing states with resources to investigate every maternal death, we can begin to tackle this troubling trend and take appropriate interventions to prevent such tragedies in the future,” said Rep. Herrera Beutler. “As a mom and a lawmaker, this is personal to me and it was an honor to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to lead this life-saving measure successfully through the House. We must improve our understanding of why moms are dying in pregnancy and childbirth so we can then unleash every possible resource to protect women in this critical season of life. I hope the Senate will take swift action to pass this critical legislation so we can send it to the President’s desk.”

For further information, please see the full text of H.R. 1318.

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