Singer Bill to Improve Maternity Care Passes Senate

A resolution sponsored by Senator Robert Singer (R-Monmouth, Ocean) that aims to make pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period safer has unanimously passed the New Jersey Senate.

The passage of this legislation comes in the wake of a state and national health emergency: African American mothers are dying both during and after childbirth at disproportionately higher rates than white mothers, with some of the most staggering rates occurring right here in New Jersey.

“New Jersey’s high maternal illness and death toll are disturbing, particularly for African American mothers,” Singer said. “We must take action to fix this deadly crisis. This requires a comprehensive approach of prioritizing maternal health during pregnancy, childbirth, and throughout the postpartum period. If the CDC dedicates the time and resources to study maternal mortality, we can reduce preventable deaths and ensure more New Jersey mothers and babies leave the hospital happy and healthy.”

Singer’s resolution SR-126, would urge the federal CDC to adopt a uniform data system to collect information on maternal mortality. The U.S. maternal mortality rate is ranked 50th in the world behind other developed counties.

Sen. Singer has been a longtime advocate of improving maternal care in the Garden State. In 2017 his resolution to create an annual “Maternal Health Awareness Day” in New Jersey was signed into law.

“In developed countries like the United States, pregnancy shouldn’t be a matter of life or death,” Singer added. “I will continue to fight for maternal health, and to secure quality care for all women and families. This is a great bipartisan effort to improve medical care throughout the state. I hope these bills will advance as soon as possible.”

This legislation is part of a comprehensive bipartisan bill package sponsored by Senator Tom Kean, Senator Joe Vitale, Senator Bob Singer, and Senator Ron Rice to improve maternal, prenatal, and newborn healthcare Statewide.