Christy Turlington Burns will join speakers at the MARCH for MOMS on Sunday.
Maternal Mortality rates in the U.S. surpass those of any other industrialized nation with women of color dying at four times the rate of white women. One in every three Americans is born through major surgery — twice as many as are medically necessary. At the same time, we have the lowest birth weights, the widest disparities, and the worst paid family leave policies in the developed world.
The MARCH for MOMS is a family-friendly event taking place on Sunday, May 6, on the National Mall between 7th-9th street from 1-4 p.m. This main event will bring together policymakers, celebrities, professional leaders and families who have been affected by our broken maternity care system. In addition, there are 50+ sister marches, hosted by ImprovingBirth.org, in communities all over the country.
In its second year, the March has grown to include over 40 national partners, including all of the professional stewards of maternal health. The intent is to gather to kick off the first-ever National Maternal Health Awareness week leading up to Mother’s Day. This public demonstration will provide diverse speakers, uniting with one voice, on a national stage, to publicly declare ‘enough’.
“Society must step up and assume responsibility to address the current health of moms and babies. Within a few days of this event, the US Senate will vote on one of the most critical bills we are advocating passage of, the Maternal Mortality bill,” said Ginger Breedlove, founding president of March for Moms. “Through this effort, we will amplify the question of whether society as a whole agrees to take action on the fact that US mother’s experience the worst outcomes of all high-income country’s in the world.”
To support the rally efforts, March for Moms team will visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday May 8th to speak to policy makers about the essential need for significant focus and funding on maternal health issues. Learn more about active legislation pertaining to these issues.
For event details and a full list of speakers please click here.
