Whereas, each year in the United States, approximately 700 individuals die as a result of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth; Whereas the pregnancy-related mortality ratio, defined as the number of pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 live births, more than doubled in the United States between 1987 and 2017; Whereas the United States is one of the only Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries in which the maternal mortality rate has increased over the last several decades; Whereas, of all pregnancy-related deaths in the United States between 2011 and 2016— (1) nearly 32 percent occurred during pregnancy; (2) approximately 35 percent occurred during childbirth or the week after childbirth; and (3) 33 percent occurred between 1 week and 1 year postpartum; Whereas more than 80 percent of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable; Whereas, each year, more than 50,000 individuals in the United States suffer from a near miss or severe maternal morbidity, which includes potentially life-threatening complications that arise from labor and childbirth; Whereas approximately 17 percent of individuals who give birth in a hospital in the United States report experiencing 1 or more types of mistreatment, such as— (1) loss of autonomy; (2) being shouted at, scolded, or threatened; or (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 outcomes exist in the United States, including that— (1) Black individuals are more than 3 times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause as are White individuals; (2) American Indian and Alaska Native individuals are more than twice as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause as are White individuals