Washington, DC – Mothers serving in the United States military have a lot on their plate. To help improve their quality of life, With Honor Action is endorsing the Maintaining Our Obligation to Moms (MOMS) Who Serve Act, bipartisan legislation led by For Country Caucus founding Vice Chair, Representative Chrissy Houlahan, and founding Co-Chair, Representative Don Bacon. This bipartisan legislation would establish a pilot program to assess the feasibility and impact of providing evidence-based perinatal mental health programs for pregnant and postpartum servicemembers. Rep. Bacon and Rep. Houlahan also lead the House Armed Services Committee’s Military Quality of Life Panel.
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that one in three female servicemembers experience maternal mental health conditions, almost double the national average for civilian women. To combat this issue, the MOMS Who Serve Act would implement evidence-based models across the military to support perinatal health outcomes for serving mothers.
“For our troops, mental readiness must be as important as physical readiness to give their best in defense of our country,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “In recognition of a new generation of warfighters, military leadership owes it to mothers and their families to provide them with the resources to make sure this is possible. With Honor Action endorses the MOMS Who Serve Act and thanks Rep. Houlahan and Rep. Bacon for their leadership.”
In 2021, With Honor Action successfully helped pass Rep. Houlahan’s Military Moms Matter Act, which increased access to postpartum care in Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs), including mental health assessments. We urge Congress to include this important legislation in the upcoming drafting of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025.
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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org
With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.