May 4, 2025 Editor, The News-Gazette: On this Mother’s Day, let us remember the empty spaces that haunt the many families who lost a mother. As a citizen and a mother myself, it is my duty to advocate for the safety of pregnant people. That is why I write today to urge your readers to contact Rep. Ben Cline and ask him to cosponsor H.R. 1909: Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2025.
Data show that the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any highincome country. In response, since 2018, Congress has created and funded state-specific Maternal Mortality Review (MMR) boards.
These boards collect and analyze data, determine leading causes of maternal death, and propose effective solutions. Importantly, these boards are composed of experienced nurses and health care providers — not bureaucrats or political appointees.
Their work has resulted in programs such as the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, universal postpartum depression screening, and strict bleeding prevention protocols —initiatives that are now lifesaving best practices in the fight to keep our mothers alive and healthy. Eliminating such programs would be both disastrous and unconscionable.
Rep. Buddy Carter, a Republican representative of Georgia, is sponsoring the reauthorization of this law. The bill has bipartisan support with cosponsors from all over the country. However, recent news reports about the federal budget indicate funding cuts for the very programs proven to reduce, if not eliminate, U.S. maternal mortality.
This congressional bipartisan effort is a vital reminder that some issues are not partisan: every American should be committed to the health and safety of our mothers.
Please call Rep. Ben Cline at (540) 885-3861 or (202) 2255431, or email him. Urge him to cosponsor H.R. 1909: Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2025. Do it for our mothers. TINNI SEN Rockbridge County
