DOULA for VA Act of 2022

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2521, DOULA for VA Act of 2021--to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish doula services to veterans.

Doulas provide emotional and physical support to pregnant people during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. A doula will assist during birth by providing a positive and safe birthing experience.

Studies show that when doulas are present in the birthing process labors are shorter, it is less likely that a C-section will be needed, there are less requests for pain medication, and there is a more positive childbirth experience.

In 2013, the Journal of Perinatal Education conducted a study which found that expectant mothers matched with a doula had better birth outcomes than did mothers who gave birth without involvement of a doula.

Doulas work to develop birthing plans, help the parent understand labor and delivery procedures, communicate preferences to the medical staff, and teach relaxation and breathing skills, along with many other non-clinical tasks that improve the birthing experience.

Currently, Veterans Affairs benefits do not cover doulas.

Improving the childbirth experience should be a priority for us all. Veterans and their family members deserve to have positive birthing experiences, just as all Amencans do.

Maternal mortality is an issue that continues to plague the United States health care system. In 2020, 861 women died of maternal causes in the United States. In the U.S., two-thirds of those pregnancy- related deaths are preventable and for every pregnancy-related death, there are 70 pregnancy-related near-death experiences. It's extremely important that we remove barriers in health care that may be contributing to these deaths.

Maternal mortality is caused by several issues such as cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, blood clots, and complications of labor and delivery.

One step to removing health care barriers is to provide more services such as doulas who can advocate for the parent and provide positive birthing experiences.

From 2010 through 2015, the use of maternity services from the Veterans Health Administration increased by 44 percent.

If doula services are improving care for the general public, then veterans should be provided with the opportunity to utilize doula services as well.

A study in 2010 found that veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom who experienced pregnancy were twice as likely to have a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia as compared to those who had not experienced a pregnancy.

H.R. 2521, Doula for VA Act of 2021 is important because we should be working to improve the lives of women and children in the United States. This bill directly impacts the health of veterans and their families.

I know that this bill is important to my constituents in Houston. Over 282,000 Veterans live in the Houston area, and almost 25,000 Veterans in Houston are women. Improving the birthing experience for these women is a top priority to me.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical bill that will direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish doula services to veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2521) to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a pilot program to furnish doula services to veterans, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 2521, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2521, as amended, the DOULA for VA Act of 2022. This bill, authored and long championed by Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, would bring VA closer to providing the full scope of reproductive healthcare that our veterans and their newborns deserve. This bill would require VA conduct a feasibility and advisability study to determine whether to provide pregnant veterans access to doula support services.

The United States has a maternal mortality crisis, and our veterans are not protected from it. In fact, they are disproportionately more likely to experience severe maternal mental health outcomes than their civilian counterparts.

There is a growing body of research that shows that doula care is an effective tool in mitigating pre and postpartum mental health crises and can be a factor in reducing childbirth complications. The VA must investigate the ability to provide such holistic and effective care.

Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly support this bill. I encourage all my colleagues to join me in supporting Mrs. Lawrence's critical and commonsense legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), the author of H.R. 2521 and my good friend, who serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Oversight and Reform Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I again ask my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 2521, as amended. With a heavy heart, I take this moment to pay tribute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence). She has joined us on Veterans Affairs' codels and done factfinding on behalf of the committee for the betterment of our veterans. I thank her for that, and I wish her the best of the new opportunities that she will encounter after she leaves this body.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his dedication and the efforts of his entire team in bringing this bill to the floor. I also thank the ranking member for his support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the DOULA for VA Act.

Maternal mortality in the United States is a public health crisis. While maternal mortality rates have declined globally over the past three decades, the United States' maternal mortality rates have climbed.

As we work to address this serious public health issue, we have a responsibility to make sure that our pregnant veterans are included in the conversation. This is because veterans who have experienced pregnancy disproportionately experience mental health afflictions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.

Studies have found that pregnant veterans were twice as likely to have a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, and stress disorder, and more than those who had not experienced a pregnancy.

We must provide veterans who have served our country optimal maternal and mental health care that takes into consideration their veteran- specific experiences.

Doulas have a proven positive effect on the health outcome of the mother and child. As the use of doula services continue to grow, we must look at ways to expand maternal health services for our women in the VA.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the bipartisan Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues for supporting this effort, the House leadership and their hardworking staff, and the amazing committee staff for working to advance this bill to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2521, the Delivering Optimally Urgent Labor Access for Veterans Affairs Act of 2022, or the DOULA for VA Act of 2022.

Women are now our fastest growing group within the veteran community. More than 2 million women veterans live in the U.S. today. Many of them are within childbearing age.

In the last few years, the use of maternal services within the VHA has increased by 44 percent. The DOULA for VA Act would require VA to conduct a study to provide doula services for pregnant veterans enrolled in the VA healthcare system.

Mr. Speaker, a doula is a trained companion who provides physical and emotional support to women before, during, and after childbirth. They also offer guidance and educational support for new mothers. However, doulas are not medically trained professionals, and there are no certifying or licensing standards for doulas, which is why it is imperative that doulas meet the minimum quality and safety standards set forth by the VA.

This bill will provide VA and Congress with valuable insight into the trade, and I ask all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2521.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage all my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I was not present for the following Roll Call votes. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows:

On rollcall No. 495, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass Certain Bills and Agree to Certain Resolutions, I would have voted ``nay''; on rollcall No. 496, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass Certain Bills and Agree to Certain Resolutions, I would have voted ``nay''; and on rollcall No. 497, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2521, as Amended, I would have voted ``nay.''