Between Parties, Everyone Stands with Moms
If there is anything that Americans can agree on, regardless of political party, it’s that mothers and babies deserve society's attention and care.
If there is anything that Americans can agree on, regardless of political party, it’s that mothers and babies deserve society's attention and care. Despite the many miracles of modern medicine, maternity can still carry risks that women must deal with as they raise their families. One risk that has become especially urgent is the closure of hospital delivery units across the United States, limiting maternal healthcare for too many expecting mothers. According to one national poll, support for a candidate increases if they express support for maternal healthcare reform. About 80% of voters have signified a greater likelihood of supporting a candidate based on this topic.
These numbers can be attributed to two groups: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America, and KAConsulting, which collaborated on the poll mentioned above. In their study, they found that 77% of voters agreed that U.S. maternal healthcare needs improvement. According to Axios’ review of the polling data, “The biggest jump in voters saying maternal health needs to improve was among those who knew the least about the issue, including Republican women (21 points) and Trump voters (17 points).” However, at a time when states may be bracing themselves for changes to Medicaid, it is important to note that Americans on both sides of the political spectrum are overwhelmingly supportive of proposals to fix prenatal care.
One of the biggest allies of maternal healthcare reform is Congressman Rob Wittman. In a statement published in late July, Rep. Wittman announced that he was cosponsoring the Newborns Essentials Support Toolkit (NEST) Act. In his own words, the bill “authorizes an existing pilot program within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide items such as diapers, wipes, breastfeeding supplies, and postpartum mental health resources to communities in need.” Another noteworthy feature of the bill is that it allows multistate nonprofits to receive HHS grants to acquire newborn supply kits.
Additionally, Rep. Wittman supported two more reform bills, namely the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2025 and the Help Ensure Lower Patient Copays Act. The first emphasizes the importance of expanding access to prenatal and postpartum care in rural areas. The second restricts discriminatory copay practices, and it is hoped that the decline in healthcare costs following this bill’s passage would help expecting mothers access affordable, lifesaving procedures.
Every Republican and Democrat knows that women and babies have unique needs. To support the next generation of Americans, it is crucial that our government makes it easier to meet those needs. Our country’s future depends on the health and wellbeing of women and children.
