Whereas the pregnancy-related mortality ratio, defined as the number of pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births, more than doubled between 1987 and 2016; Whereas the United States is the only developed country whose maternal mortality rate has increased over the last several decades; Whereas of all pregnancy-related deaths between 2011 and 2015— (1) nearly 31 percent occurred during pregnancy; (2) about 36 percent occurred during childbirth or the week after childbirth; and (3) 33 percent occurred between 1 week and 1 year postpartum; Whereas more than 60 percent of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable; Whereas, in 2014 alone, 50,000 women suffered from a near miss or severe maternal morbidity, which includes potentially life-threatening complications that arise from labor and childbirth; Whereas 28 percent of women who gave birth in a hospital in the United States reported experiencing 1 or more types of mistreatment, such as— (1) loss of autonomy; (2) being shouted at, scolded, or threatened; and (3) being ignored or refused or receiving no response to requests for help; Whereas certain social determinants of health, including bias and racism, have a negative impact on maternal health outcomes; Whereas significant disparities in maternal health exist, including that— (1) Black women are more than 3 times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause as are White women; (2) American Indian and Alaska Native women are more than 2 times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause as are White women; (3) Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native women with at least some college education are more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than are women of all other racial and ethnic backgrounds with less than a high school diploma; (4) Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native women are about 2 times as likely to suffer from severe maternal morbidity as are White women