Below is an official release from Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) regarding a bipartisan bill he introduced with Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock (D).
Studies show a father’s involvement during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum significantly improves the health and well-being of both mother and baby.
Ahead of Father’s Day, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced the Dads Matter Act of 2024 to raise awareness and provide guidance about the importance of father involvement and engagement.
- “Involved fathers are pillars of strength in our families, embodying resilience, guidance, and unconditional love. The Dads Matter Act would promote father engagement and lay the foundation for a stronger, more compassionate society.” – Senator Rubio
- “Georgia’s maternal mortality rate is a crisis that we must address with every tool at our disposal. That includes redoubling our efforts to uplift the role of fathers in keeping their family healthy during pregnancy and early childhood. With Father’s Day quickly approaching, now is the time to spread awareness about the critical role of fathers in improving maternal health outcomes and creating thriving families and communities.” – Senator Warnock
Specifically, this bill would:
- Direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 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 the postpartum period.
- Direct HHS to issue guidance to states to encourage and incentivize maternity care providers to provide training and education to health care professionals about the benefits of including and engaging fathers in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum process.
- Direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report to Congress that describes the results and effectiveness of this legislation.