The Dads Matter Act of 2025 aims to improve maternal health outcomes through promoting fatherhood engagement
Senator Reverend Warnock has worked to combat maternal mortality, promote healthy families
Georgia has one of the highest rates of maternal deaths in the country
Senator Reverend Warnock: “Georgia’s maternal mortality rate is a crisis that we must address with every tool at our disposal. That includes redoubling our efforts to uplift the role of fathers in keeping their family healthy during pregnancy and early childhood”
Senator Marshall: “Fathers play such a critical role in their households, and I am proud to support legislation that champions their role as providers, spouses, and caregivers”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve maternal health outcomes by promoting fatherhood engagement. The Dads Matter Act of 2025 would direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to raise awareness about father inclusion and engagement through a public awareness campaign and to provide state-level guidance aimed at strengthening the role of fathers in supporting healthy mothers and babies. Last Congress, Senator Warnock introduced a resolution to uplift fathers and their role in maternal health. TheDads Matter Act, co-led by Senator Marshall, builds on the resolution that passed the Senate and would direct HHS to raise awareness about father inclusion and engagement through a public awareness campaign and guidance to states.
“Georgia’s maternal mortality rate is a crisis that we must address with every tool at our disposal. That includes redoubling our efforts to uplift the role of fathers in keeping their family healthy during pregnancy and early childhood,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “Now is the time to spread awareness about the critical role of fathers in improving maternal health outcomes and creating thriving families and communities.”
“As an OBGYN for more than 25 years, I know firsthand the challenges facing mothers, and how important a stable support system can be to both pediatric and maternal health outcomes,” said Senator Marshall. “Fathers play such a critical role in their households, and I am proud to support legislation that champions their role as providers, spouses, and caregivers.”
“Too many women in Arizona die from pregnancy-related causes. This bill helps reverse this trend by recognizing that engaged fathers are part of the solution. When dads show up, maternal health outcomes are better, babies are healthier, and families are stronger,” said Senator Gallego.
The Dads Matter Act of 2025 would:
- Direct HHS to carry out a public awareness campaign to increase awareness of the importance of father inclusion and engagement in improving overall health outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.
- Direct HHS to issue guidance to states to encourage and incentivize maternity care providers to provide training and education to health care professionals about the benefits of including and engaging fathers in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum process.
- Direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report to Congress that describes the results and effectiveness of this legislation.
Organizations supporting the legislation include March of Dimes, the National Fatherhood Initiative, the What to Expect Project, and 4Kira4Moms.
“National Fatherhood Initiative® applauds Senators Warnock and Marshall for reintroducing bipartisan legislation that has the potential for long-term impact on our nation’s well-being. This bill leverages a golden moment by focusing on increasing father engagement during the perinatal period when parents are most highly motivated for the father’s involvement in his child’s life,” said Christopher A. Brown, president, National Fatherhood Initiative®. “Research shows that maternal and child health outcomes are enhanced when the father becomes engaged during and after the child’s birth. It also increases the chance that the father stays involved for the long haul. There’s no more cost-effective time to invest in the well-being of whole families.”
“The science and research are clear: Not only are fathers biologically hard wired to be nurturers, but they’re the best and most effective champions of maternal and infant health. When dads are involved in pregnancy, postpartum and infant care, the risks from nearly all preventable and treatable complications – from preeclampsia to preterm birth to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders to sudden infant death are reduced. Breastfeeding rates soar, as does a baby’s development, future mental and behavioral health, success in school, and so much more. Yet for too long, we’ve sidelined fathers – in some communities, even seen them as part of the problem, not the solution they are. Excluded them from the conversation about our current maternal health crisis and from legislation intended to reverse it. That’s why the What to Expect Project and I are proud to support the Dads Matter Act, the first bill to address the measurable impact fathers have on maternal and infant health, safety, and wellbeing – and to improve awareness among health care providers and communities about the need to involve them. Because dads do matter. We’re grateful for the passionate leadership and tireless efforts and commitment from Senator Warnock, Senator Marshall, and Senator Gallego on behalf of all moms and dads,” said Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Founder of the What to Expect Project
“We’re incredibly grateful to Senator Warnock, Senator Marshall, and Senator Gallego for their leadership on the Dads Matter Act. This critical legislation highlights the power of bipartisan collaboration in improving maternal health outcomes for all families. We believe that by empowering fathers, we can not only make our country safer for mothers and babies, but we can also strengthen our families,” said Charles Johnson, Founder & Board President, 4Kira4Moms
“The Dads Matter Actis an important piece of federal maternal health legislation that brings awareness to the fact that maternal health is a fundamental human right not just a woman’s right. The Dads Matter Act will help enable education and training of fathers to be in service of mothers during their pregnancy journeys as a family! We are excited to help see this piece of legislation pass,” said Gabrielle Albert, Executive Director & Board Vice President & Secretary, 4Kira4Moms
Senator Warnock has long championed legislation to combat maternal mortality and improve health outcomes for hardworking families. In 2022, Senator Warnock partnered with then-Senator Marco Rubio to pass the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, which provides federal funding to reduce maternal mortality and improve implicit bias training for providers to prevent maternal death. Senator Warnock also partnered with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) to introduce the Kira Johnson Act, legislation to provide funding to community-based organizations leading the charge to improve maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black women. Additionally, in 2023, Senator Warnock introduced a bipartisan bill with U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) to support efforts to collect and analyze maternal health data to prevent maternal deaths; the bipartisan Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act would reauthorize programs to preserve maternal health throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, and would address disparities in maternal health outcomes through data collection, analysis, and strategies for prevention. In 2023, Senator Warnock also traveled to North Georgia to hear from health care providers and Georgians at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville about the state’s maternal mortality crisis and why Congress must act to invest in better health care outcomes for women in Georgia and across the country. In 2024, Senator Warnock introduced a resolution designating January 23 as Maternal Health Awareness Day in order to raise public awareness about maternal health and promote initiatives to address and eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.
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