AR219

An Assembly Resolution encouraging the Department of Health to develop a set of standards for respectful care at birth and to conduct a public outreach initiative.

Whereas, One measure of a society’s development is its ability to protect mothers and babies in childbirth, yet the United States ranks amongst the worst nations in the world in the number of women who die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes each year; and

Whereas, Maternal mortality is of particular concern in New Jersey, where the maternal mortality rate ranks fifth highest in the country, according to the 2018 edition of United Health Foundation’s “America’s Health Rankings”; and

Whereas, The New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) is encouraged to take a meaningful step in improving maternal health outcomes and women’s experiences at childbirth by developing a set of standards for respectful care at birth, which recognizes women’s self-worth, feelings, choices, and preferences in their maternal health care; and

Whereas, New York City can serve as a model for the DOH’s efforts in crafting standards for respectful care, as the city has implemented its Standards for Respectful Care at Birth, which detail health protections for pregnant women during and after childbirth; and

Whereas, New York City’s standards assert that a safe birthing experience is a human right and focus on six areas of respectful care, namely education, informed consent, decision making, quality of care, support and dignity, and non-discrimination; and

Whereas, The DOH is encouraged to engage in a public outreach initiative to promote these standards to women across the State and to urge maternity care providers and community-based organizations to integrate the new standards into their routine clinical care and community engagement; and

Whereas, In conducting its outreach, New York City distributed posters outlining its standards to all 38 city maternity hospitals and other clinical providers, along with more than 100 community-based organizations; and

Whereas, Implementing these standards and conducting Statewide public outreach will not only support women in becoming more active decision-makers in their birthing experience, but will also help providers in respecting and being more aware of their patients’ rights and preferences during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth; and

Whereas, Furthermore, a set of standards for respectful care at birth would help to reduce the stark racial gap that exists in maternal health outcomes, which particularly affects women of color; and

Whereas, Statistics show that black infants in New Jersey are nearly 50 percent more likely to be born underweight than white infants and that, in 2013, the pregnancy-related maternal death rate for white women in New Jersey was 12.8 deaths per 100,000 births compared to 46.5 deaths per 100,000 births for black women; and

Whereas, Integrating these standards into maternal health care will help foster an environment where women feel empowered to assert their rights and preferences in childbirth and where providers and patients work collaboratively to make decisions; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House respectfully encourages the Department of Health to develop a set of standards for respectful care at birth, modeled after the Standards for Respectful Care at Birth implemented in New York City, and to conduct a public outreach initiative for promoting the standards to women and integrating the standards into routine clinical care and community engagement.

2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Commissioner of the Department of Health.

STATEMENT

This resolution encourages the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) to develop a set of standards for respectful care at birth and to conduct a public outreach initiative to promote these standards to women and integrate the standards into routine clinical care and community engagement.

Despite technological and medical advances, the United States is one of the worst nations in the developed world when it comes to the number of women who die each year from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes. New Jersey particularly struggles with high maternal mortality, ranking fifth highest amongst all states in terms of its maternal mortality rate.

The DOH is encouraged to take a meaningful step in improving maternal health outcomes and women’s experiences at childbirth by developing a set of standards for respectful care at birth. These standards should be modeled after New York City’s Standards for Respectful Care at Birth. The standards were created to inform, educate, and support women giving birth, and detail health protections for pregnant women during and after childbirth. The standards focus on six areas of respectful care, namely: education, informed consent, decision making, quality of care, support and dignity, and non-discrimination.

The DOH is also encouraged to engage in a public outreach initiative to promote the standards among women across the State and to urge maternity care providers and community-based organizations to integrate the new standards for respectful care at birth into their routine clinical care and community engagement. The New York City Department of Health distributed posters outlining its Standards for Respectful Care at Birth to all 38 city maternity hospitals and other clinical providers, along with more than 100 community-based organizations.

In addition to reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal health outcomes, implementing standards for respectful care at birth in New Jersey would support women in becoming more active decision-makers in their birthing experience, and would help providers in respecting and being more aware of their patients’ rights and preferences during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. These standards would also help reduce the stark racial gap that exists in maternal health outcomes, which particularly affects women of color. Statistics show that black infants in New Jersey are nearly 50 percent more likely to be born underweight than white infants. In 2013, the pregnancy-related maternal death rate for white women in New Jersey was 12.8 deaths per 100,000 births compared to a much higher 46.5 deaths per 100,000 births for black women.

Integrating these standards into maternal health care will help foster an environment where women feel empowered to assert their rights and preferences in childbirth and where providers and patients work collaboratively to make decisions.