Mother and Child Act: Congress CAN act now

While much of people’s attention in the US is focused on the upcoming election, there is a bill in Congress that if resolved before the end of this year, could relieve the suffering of mothers and children. Every minute, 11 children under age the age of five die of unnecessary causes around the world.

Congress can help by passing the Reach Every Mother and Child Act (H.R. 3706 and S. 1911). Almost 170 legislators, Republican and Democrat, have signed on to the Reach Act in an effort to improve the effectiveness of maternal and child health work. This bill has more signatures than 99% of all other bills that are considered.

Now is the time for Representatives Kilmer, Heck, McDermott, Larsen, Smith, DelBene, Reichart, Newhouse, and Herrara Beutler to urge the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bring the Reach Act to the floor for a vote. Don’t wait for another month to go by to vote on these bills.

This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 8:31 PM with the headline "Mother and Child Act: Congress CAN act now."