Washington, DC — Today, Representative Lucy McBath announced that she has invited Yaa Agyeiwaa of Lawrenceville, Georgia to be her guest for President Joe Biden’s 2024 State of the Union Address.
“I always wanted to start a family and like many women in America, I struggled to get pregnant. I even wondered if God had ever meant for me to be a mother at all. Bringing my son into this world was a miracle for me and for my family. For too many in this country, the miracle of pregnancy ends in tragedy and families are forever shattered by the loss,” said Rep. McBath.“Georgia has the worst rate of maternal death in the country, and the statistics are even worse for women of color. I am proud to have Yaa join me for President Biden’s State of the Union to help highlight the dire consequences facing families in Georgia and bring attention to the resources needed to help keep mothers and their babies healthy before and after childbirth.”
“I’m elated to attend this year’s State of the Union with Congresswoman Lucy McBath because she recognizes the need for equitable maternal health care in the State of Georgia. This opportunity highlights the impact of our work to improve maternal infant health and support families,” said Ms. Agyeiwaa.
Ms. Agyeiwaa is the Director of Community Partnerships and Resources for the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia and trained in Developmental Psychology. A first generation Ghanaian American, Yaa has a strong passion to serve mothers and babies in Georgia and strives to provide supportive resources to assist the growth and development of children and the family unit. She witnessed the health care challenges many women and children faced, so she set out to be an agent for change agent in communities like hers. The work of HMHBGA makes supportive services more accessible and spreads awareness of important resources for underserved populations to improve the lives of families, birth givers, and infants.
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income country, and the statistics are getting worse. The maternal mortality rate in 2021 was 89% higher than the rate in 2018. McBath is a founding member of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and has led multiple pieces of legislation to address the health disparities facing families. Her bill to keep moms and their babies healthy is now law. In 2020 and again in 2021, McBath led the Social Determinants for Moms Act as part of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus, a first of its kind and aimed at comprehensively addressing maternal health in the United States. In the re-introduction of the Momnibus this Congress, McBath led the Extending WIC for New Moms Act, a bicameral bill to support mothers and infants into the postpartum and breastfeeding periods.