[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4522 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4522
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 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 postpartum, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 12, 2024
Mr. Warnock (for himself and Mr. Rubio) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 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 postpartum, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Dads Matter Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Father engagement can play an important role in
improving maternal health care, addressing maternal mortality
and morbidity, and bettering the development and long-term
growth of the child.
(2) The participation of fathers during prenatal care
appointments provides the mother with additional support to
recognize potential pregnancy-related complications that could
lead to maternal mortality and morbidity.
(3) When fathers are involved during pregnancy appointments
and milestones, mothers are 1.5 times more likely to receive
prenatal care in the first trimester, which improves health
outcomes for both the mother and baby.
(4) Father support during pregnancy can help promote
behavioral health of the mother.
(5) Father engagement reduces the risks of postpartum mood
and anxiety disorders and contributes to a lower likelihood of
preterm birth and a healthier birthweight.
(6) Including fathers in conversations about safe sleep
guidelines and sharing guidance about infant crying and the
risks of shaken baby syndrome can help reduce infant deaths.
(7) Active support of the father during breastfeeding
greatly increases the chances of successful breastfeeding,
which improves the physical and mental health of the baby and
the mother.
(8) Physical contact between the father and the baby just
after birth and in the months following birth has been shown to
improve the health and development of the baby, improve the
mental health of the father, and foster father-child bonding in
the short term and long term.
SEC. 3. INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHER INCLUSION AND
ENGAGEMENT IN THE PREGNANCY, BIRTH, AND POSTPARTUM
PROCESS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall carry out
a public awareness campaign to increase understanding of the importance
of father inclusion and engagement in improving overall health outcomes
during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, for both the mother and
baby.
(b) Requirements.--The campaign under subsection (a) shall
include--
(1) messaging intended to provide information to the public
about the importance of a father's role in pregnancy and
parenting;
(2) resources and information to counter popular narratives
that minimize the importance of engaged and involved fathers in
pregnancy and parenting; and
(3) resources and information that promote awareness about
the impact of father inclusion on maternal and infant outcomes,
including--
(A) the importance of father-to-infant skin-to-skin
contact in improving the health and development of a
newborn and fostering father-child bonding in the short
and long term;
(B) the role of fathers in promoting the behavioral
health of the mother;
(C) the role of fathers in increasing the number of
prenatal and postpartum appointments a mother attends;
(D) the effects of father attendance during
prenatal and postnatal appointments;
(E) the effects of paternal postpartum depression;
(F) the role of father support in improving rates
of successful breastfeeding; and
(G) the role of father involvement in providing the
mother with additional support to recognize potential
pregnancy-related complications, which could include--
(i) preeclampsia;
(ii) peripartum cardiomyopathy;
(iii) preterm labor;
(iv) perinatal mood and anxiety disorders;
(v) pregnancy loss or miscarriage;
(vi) stillbirth;
(vii) high blood pressure;
(viii) cervical infections;
(ix) gestational diabetes;
(x) placental abruption;
(xi) ectopic pregnancy; and
(xii) uterine rupture.
SEC. 4. GUIDANCE TO STATES ON ENCOURAGING FATHER INCLUSION AND
ENGAGEMENT IN THE PREGNANCY, BIRTH, AND POSTPARTUM
PROCESS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue
guidance to States that addresses how States can encourage and
incentivize providers of maternity care, including hospitals, health
care systems, midwifery practices, freestanding birth centers,
community health centers, and other maternity care providers, and
providers of health care coverage, including managed care entities, to
provide training and education to health care practitioners, such as
pediatricians, obstetricians, and gynecologists, about the benefits of
including and engaging fathers in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
process.
(b) Requirements.--The guidance under subsection (a) shall--
(1) include information on how health care practitioners
can--
(A) offer peer-to-peer, father-to-father
encouragement, support, and education in communities
that traditionally are not inclusive of fathers;
(B) provide fathers with information on--
(i) what to expect before, during, and
after the birth process;
(ii) how to better--
(I) understand and support their
partner throughout such process; and
(II) serve as an advocate in her
care;
(iii) recommendations and protocol relating
to pregnancy, postpartum, and child care,
including--
(I) maternal, infant, and routine
childhood vaccines;
(II) maternal warning signs;
(III) the importance of fetal
movement counting;
(IV) maternal mental health and
postpartum recovery;
(V) breastfeeding practices;
(VI) health care appointments;
(VII) safe sleep practices;
(VIII) skin-to-skin contact;
(IX) baby care, including safe
soothing of a crying baby;
(X) child bonding; and
(XI) early childhood development;
and
(C) screen fathers for depression and provide
referrals for treatment that may positively impact
child development and reduce the risk of adverse
childhood experiences;
(2) address cultural beliefs about fatherhood, a man's role
in maternal health, and families; and
(3) reaffirm a father's ability to play a positive and
valuable role during pregnancy, birth, and early childhood
development, regardless of race or ethnicity.
SEC. 5. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.
Not later than 6 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct, and submit to
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate
and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives a report describing the results of, a study on the
effectiveness of this Act.
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