Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) and members of the Congressional Dads Caucus have introduced the Dads Matter Act in an effort to improve family well-being. By encouraging father involvement from the very beginning of a kid’s development, this bipartisan effort aims to improve mother and child health outcomes. Gallego’s news statement highlighted his personal experience, saying, “We know that when dads are involved early on, everyone in the family is better off.”
The bill, which has garnered support from people of all political persuasions, is based on studies showing that active paternal involvement improves psychosocial and birth outcomes. In keeping with this idea, the Dads Matter Act aims to inform men about their important role during and after pregnancy. According to Rep. Gallego’s news release, Gallego reveals the depth of his belief by recalling taking time off for his daughter, Isla, and highlighting the importance of those early days spent with her.
A number of important directives are outlined in the plan. It urges the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to launch a public education campaign emphasizing how fatherly engagement affects health outcomes throughout pregnancy and after giving birth. It also calls on HHS to advise states on how to encourage maternity care providers to inform medical experts about the advantages of having a father present during these critical times.
In an effort to address this public health issue, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) have introduced a companion bill in the Senate. The Warnock statement, “Georgia’s maternal mortality rate is a crisis that we must address with every tool at our disposal,” as stated in Rep. Gallego’s press release, highlights the need to increase educational efforts on fatherly engagement in order to improve health outcomes and strengthen family dynamics, but it does not specify the number of families.
The expected accountability measures are completed by requiring the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the effectiveness of this proposed legislation. Through the linked connection to Rep. Gallego’s official press release, interested parties can view the full text of the Dads Matter Act.
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