Maternal Health Bill | Kentuckians For The Commonwealth

Maternal Health Bill

House Bill Number: 
27

House Bill 27, the Maternal Health Bill, would have required health facilities to provide each patient with written information regarding the patient's rights and implement an evidence-based implicit bias program for all health providers involved in the perinatal care of patients within those facilities; it also required the Department for Public Health to track data on maternal death and severe morbidity.

HB 27 was part of a"Kentucky Maternal and Infant Health Project" package of 21 bills from the Democratic Women's Caucus that affirm a pro-family, pro-infant, pro-maternal health strategy. These bills also would work to close racial maternal and infant health gap.

See: "Kentucky needs a birth plan to connect pregnant women to proper care."

Bill Sponsor(s): 
Rep. Attica Scott and others

HB 27 and most of the other maternal health-related bills were not assigned to committees and were ignored by legislative leaders.

However, House Bill 212 did move. It requires a child and maternal fatality annual demographic analysis by race, income and geography. HB 212 was approved unanimously by the House Health & Family Services Committee on February 4 and then, after a delay, by the full House, 92-3, on March 3. It received approval by the Senate, 36-0, on March 16, and was signed into law by Gov. Beshear on March 25.

KFTC's Position: 
KFTC Supports