Pass the Kira Johnson Act: Protect Mothers, Prevent Maternal Deaths, and Demand Accountability

Petition to the United States Congress

Federal legislation: H.R. 8074 and S. 4195 — 119th Congress

No Mother Should Die Because Her Care Was Delayed, Dismissed, or Discriminatory.

On April 12, 2016, Kira Johnson entered a hospital to give birth to her second son, Langston. She was a healthy Black mother, entrepreneur, and wife.

Approximately 12 hours after delivering her baby, Kira died from a hemorrhage.

Her death became a powerful symbol of the urgent need to improve maternal healthcare in the United States, particularly for Black women who experience disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality.

Kira’s story represents more than a personal tragedy. It raises a national question:

How many more mothers must die before we take meaningful action to improve maternity care?

Why Federal Action Is Necessary

Maternal mortality is a serious public health problem in the United States. Pregnancy and childbirth can involve life-threatening complications, including hemorrhage, infection, blood clots, and hypertensive disorders.

Black women experience substantially higher rates of maternal mortality than White women.

These disparities cannot be explained by individual health decisions alone. Access to quality healthcare, systemic inequalities, and differences in treatment and healthcare experiences are important concerns that require attention.

Mothers deserve timely medical intervention, respectful treatment, appropriate monitoring, and access to qualified healthcare professionals.

Preventing maternal deaths requires more than awareness. It requires investments in healthcare systems, community organizations, professional education, and accountability.

What the Kira Johnson Act Would Do

The Kira Johnson Act, introduced in the 119th Congress on March 25, 2026, seeks to address maternal mortality, severe maternal complications, and disparities in maternity care.

The legislation proposes several important federal initiatives.

1. Invest in Community-Based Maternal Health Organizations

The legislation would establish federal grants to support eligible community-based organizations working to improve maternal health outcomes in populations experiencing disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and severe complications.

These programs could support maternal mental health, perinatal health workers, access to care, and other evidence-based services addressing maternal health disparities.

2. Support Training to Reduce Racism, Bias, and Discrimination

The legislation would provide grant funding for training programs that help healthcare professionals and other maternity care employees recognize and address racism, bias, and discrimination.

Training would emphasize respectful, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed maternity care.

3. Establish Respectful Maternity Care Compliance Programs

The legislation would support programs in eligible hospitals, health systems, and other maternity care settings to identify and respond to reports of bias and discrimination.

Funded programs would establish reporting mechanisms for patients, families, and perinatal health workers, provide timely follow-up, and develop strategies to address discriminatory treatment.

4. Strengthen Transparency and Institutional Accountability

The proposed compliance programs would include public reporting of patient experiences, institutional strategies to reduce bias, and reporting to federal officials.

These requirements are designed to help identify problems, evaluate responses, and encourage improvements in maternity care.

5. Support Independent Research and Federal Oversight

The legislation would direct federal efforts to study the effectiveness of training and compliance programs.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Government Accountability Office would have roles in evaluating aspects of these initiatives and informing Congress.

Our Demands to Congress

We, the undersigned, call upon the United States Congress to take the following actions:

Advance H.R. 8074 and S. 4195 through their respective committees and provide meaningful legislative consideration.
Support passage of the Kira Johnson Act to strengthen federal efforts addressing maternal mortality and disparities.
Provide the funding necessary to implement authorized programs, including community-based maternal health initiatives and respectful maternity care training.
Support transparent reporting and accountability mechanisms that help patients and families raise concerns about discriminatory maternity care.
Prioritize evidence-based maternal healthcare improvements that protect pregnant and postpartum patients across the United States.
Why Your Signature Matters

This legislation has been introduced in Congress, but introduction does not mean passage.

Public support can help demonstrate to elected representatives that maternal health is a national priority.

Signing this petition is a public call for Congress to consider and advance legislation intended to improve maternity care and reduce preventable harm.

We are not asking for special treatment. We are demanding that every mother receive safe, respectful, evidence-based healthcare.

We are asking lawmakers to recognize that Black maternal mortality disparities deserve urgent and sustained attention.

We are asking for a healthcare system where patients’ concerns are taken seriously, where institutions address discrimination, and where communities have the resources needed to support healthy pregnancies and recovery after childbirth.

Kira Johnson should have returned home to her family.

Her legacy deserves meaningful action.

Pass the Kira Johnson Act. Protect mothers. Strengthen accountability. Help prevent maternal deaths.

Sign this petition and urge Congress to act.

H.R. 8074 — Official congressional record⁠​

S. 4195 — Official congressional record⁠​

Full introduced House bill text​

Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus background and bill summary⁠