April 13, 2026
(Philadelphia, PA) — This week, 314 Action recognizes the 9th annual Black Maternal Health Week, a week dedicated to highlighting the maternal health crisis in the United States and the urgent need to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates among Black mothers.
“It’s a complete failure of our health care system that Black women are still three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, President of 314 Action. “This disparity shouldn’t exist. That’s why Representative Lauren Underwood, a registered nurse, public health expert and National Co-Chair of our Guardians of Public Health initiative, led the charge in co-founding the bipartisan Black Maternal Health Caucus seven years ago.”
Naughton continued, “Just last month, Representative Underwood reintroduced the Momnibus, a comprehensive collection of 14 bills to address the factors driving maternal mortality. This is what happens when we elect doctors and nurses to office—they take their experience in exam rooms with patients to Washington to find solutions to real health care issues. Health care will be one of the most important issues during the midterms—and 314 Action will continue to lead the charge to elect doctors and scientists to keep Americans safe and healthy.”
In 2025, Representative Underwood joined 314 Action’s Guardians of Public Health campaign as a National Co-Chair. She’s working to help 314 Action’s efforts to recruit and elect 100 new doctors and health care professionals to federal and state offices across the country by 2030. 314 Action is committed to raising and spending over $25 million as part of the initiative.
About the Momnibus and Black Maternal Health Caucus:
- The Momnibus is made up of fourteen bills which comprehensively address every driver of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in the United States
- The Momnibus was first introduced in 2020, but was reintroduced in 2026 by Representatives Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Alma Adams (NC-12), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)
- Representatives Underwood and Adams co-founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus in 2019 to advance federal solutions that save moms’ lives.
- Since 2023, the Black Maternal Health Caucus has enacted over $200 million in Momnibus funding through the federal appropriations process.
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314 Action is the only national organization working to elect scientists across all levels of government—from the Senate down to local school boards. The organization is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people supporting scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care.