This Mother's Day: March for Moms Rallies to Protest American Health Care Act

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sunday, thousands will participate in a Mother's Day March for Moms rally at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. to protest proposed changes to health care coverage that could make pregnancy and childbirth pre-existing conditions.

Alarmed that the U.S. Senate is planning to vote on a flawed healthcare bill, a multidisciplinary coalition of maternal health advocates will bring together experts to speak about the issues, along with families impacted by the issues who will share their personal stories. The family-friendly rally will take place from 1-4 p.m. at the Jefferson Memorial on Sunday, May 14. Rallies are also being organized in key states, such as Alaska and Maine, which have moderate Republicans who could stop the legislation. 

Mothers already are among the most vulnerable in our healthcare system. Despite advances in medicine and technology, the United States is the only developed nation with a rising maternal mortality rate that has more than doubled since 1987, with women of color dying at four times the rate of white women. In addition, the U.S. continues to struggle in providing the best care for mothers and families, with the worst access to care, highest prematurity rates, widest disparities, and weakest family leave policies in the developed world.

"The situation is unacceptable," said Dr. Ginger Breedlove, founding president of March for Moms. "We need more and better access to maternity care -- not legislation that would make outcomes worse."

To support the rally effort, the March for Moms team will visit Capitol Hill on Friday, May 12 and again on Monday, May 15 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 and how to join the Capitol Hill visit.

Moms also will stage a virtual protest on Mother's Day by taking selfies with their kids and using the hashtags #iamnotapreexistingcondition #coveragematters and #marchformoms. In addition, they are scheduled to turn out in key Senate districts, where critical votes could be cast against the latest, dangerous version of the American Health Care Act.

March for Moms advocates for six key issues:

• Rising Maternal Mortality and Poor Health Outcomes
• Perinatal Depression
• Healthcare Inequity and Disparities
• Premature Birth
• Lack of Access to Healthcare
• Maternity and Family Leave Policies

For a full list of confirmed speakers, please visit: http://www.marchformoms.org/event-info/speakers/.

About March for Moms
March for Moms was established to call attention to the deeply concerning state of family health in the United States in order to improve the health of childbearing families. We proudly stand beside the diverse American families who are doing the difficult and rewarding work of nurturing our future generations. To learn more please visit the March for Moms website.

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SOURCE March for Moms