Protecting Access to Perinatal Care

WHEREAS, timely access to safe, perinatal care and high-quality labor and delivery services is essential to protecting the health and lives of pregnant people and newborns; and

WHEREAS, healthcare consolidation, corporate mergers, private equity ownership and profit-driven financial practices have led to the closure of labor and delivery units and maternity services, gutting access to care in communities across the United States; and

WHEREAS, according to the 2024 March of Dimes report Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the U.S., more than 35 percent of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, leaving 2.3 million women of reproductive age and 150,000 babies born each year in communities with no hospital offering obstetric care, a birth center or an obstetric clinician, while increasing the risk of poor maternal and infant outcomes; and

WHEREAS, limited access to obstetric services is associated with poorer maternal health before pregnancy, reduced access to prenatal care, higher rates of preterm birth and increased risk of serious maternal complications, with recent research finding that women living in maternity care deserts face 59 percent higher odds of experiencing serious adverse maternal outcomes, including higher rates of blood transfusions and unplanned hysterectomies, than those living in communities with full access to maternal care; and

WHEREAS, at least 217 hospital obstetric units closed between 2011 and early 2023, while one in every 25 obstetric units in the United States closed in the past two years alone, reducing access to care and increasing travel times for pregnant people seeking maternity services; and

WHEREAS, too many hospitals and systems are prioritizing financial returns over community health needs, contributing to the continued loss of vital services, including maternity care, particularly in rural and underserved communities:

RESOLVED, that the AFT will actively oppose cuts to and closures of labor and delivery units and other essential maternal and infant healthcare services and advocate for investments in community-based maternal health programs and the perinatal workforce; and 

RESOLVED, that the AFT will advocate for policies such as Medicare for All or a public option that guarantee healthcare as a human right, ensuring that every person has access to comprehensive, high-quality healthcare services, including maternity, reproductive, prenatal, childbirth and postpartum care, regardless of income, employment status, geography, immigration status or ability to pay; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue to build sustained community support for rural hospitals, health centers and the families that rely on them; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT’s Code Red campaign will include a sustained focus on improving maternal health and reducing preterm birth by raising awareness of the nation’s maternal health crisis, addressing the disproportionate burden created by these cuts to care, which include maternal mortality, morbidity and preterm and stillbirths experienced by Black women, Indigenous women, rural families and other underserved communities, and advocating for policies that ensure equitable, high-quality care before, during and after pregnancy.

Adopted October 8, 2026