Sheppard-Towner Maternity Act of 1921

Sheppard-Towner Maternity Act of 1921

History of the Policy

According to Madgett (2017), The Sheppard-Tower Maternity and Infancy Protection Act, undersigned by President Warren G. Harding on November 23, 1921, is credited with being the earliest federated general welfare strategy explicitly designed for children and women. It is thought to be the link between pre-World War I and World War II. Progressive refine, particularly that championed by arranged women's organizations and postwar health plans, manifested by the 1920s welfare commercialism and later general strategies such as the new deal. It is also the new crucial diplomatic premium of the woman suffrage movement's recent success. Madgett’s (2017) research suggests that Women's organizations fought to keep it safe for as long as they could. According to a major study conducted by the United States Children's Bureau, the U.S has very high infant mortality rates and ranks seventeenth among industrialized nations in maternal deaths (Madgett, 2017). A high percentage of women who are pregnant acquired no fetal protection or guidance. The Bureau's analysts also located a link between poverty and death. This Act was sponsored by Representative Horace Mann Towner (R) of Louisiana and Senator Morris Shepherd (D) of Texas, and it was finally signed by the President on November 23, 1921(Madgett, 2017).

Problems, Goals or Objectives of the Policy

Madgett (2017) notes that The National Maternity and Infancy Protection Act, also termed the Sheppard-Towner Maternity Act, was approved by United States Congress to provide federal money to countries to set up strategies to inform pregnant women about fetal hygiene and infant well-being. Lawyers claimed that it was intended to reduce the rapid infant death rate in the United States. Many countries accepted funds provided by the Sheppard-Towner Act that was approved by the U.S. Congress in 1921(Madgett, 2017). According to Madgett (2017), this significant step resulted in the establishment of over 3000 prenatal care clinics. Nearly 180,000 infant seminars were held to educate mothers on proper infant care. The traveling nurses conducted home visits and national distribution of education to approximately three million people to ensure that mothers who were unable to reach prenatal care clinics were also educated on the proper administration of infant welfare (Madgett, 2017).

However, research conducted by Ladd-Taylor (2018) suggested that the mothers enjoyed the above benefits, particularly the funds, for only five years because the United States Congress failed to extend the Sheppard Maternity Act to ensure its continuation. This occurred after the Act was repealed by Congress in 1929 (Ladd-Taylor, 2018). A study conducted by different historians revealed that the mortality rate of infants increased by a higher percentage, especially in areas heavily impacted by poverty and those who had yet to receive relevant information on the infants' health and hygiene compared to years when the Act was practical and helpful. Pregnant women in rural regions were at a higher endangering of dying because they lacked adequate access to nurses and hospitals for maternity care.

Strategies or Implementation for Achieving the Policy’s goals or Objectives

The opposition difficulties persisted for the group mentioned above until Lathrop proposed that the government create another federal program to empower states to advance fetal and infant health and sanitation. This national program was offered to be implemented through literature distribution, educational seminars, and home visits conducted by the traveling doctors. Because the first federal program was so effective and efficient, these measures are still similar. The above Lathrop idea came to light shortly after the Children's Bureau's annual report to the Secretary of Labor revealed a rapid increase in pregnant and infant mortality rates (Ladd-Taylor, 2018). Lathrop’s fantastic strategy was proposed to ensure appropriate infant welfare and reduce infant mortality rates as soon as it was implemented. It was suggested that the program would be highly beneficial, particularly in rural areas where many women and infants are affected by poverty and widespread illiteracy. Lathrop supported her arguments by citing examples of different states, such as New Zealand and England that had tried the federal program and found it to be very effective in lowering mortality rates in the countries.

Lathrop even linked her program to the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, which postulated complementing federal funds for countries to invest in agricultural education and advocacy efforts. All of this was done to validate the proposed program and ensure that it worked well as the other programs mentioned. Lathrop stated that the same funding schemes would be highly beneficial to the United States in developing federal programs to aid in the administration of proper infant welfare. She traveled around the world promoting the idea, gaining a lot of support from organizations like the National Women's Trade Union League and General Federation of Women's Clubs, which was thought to have been founded in Boston, Massachusetts(Ladd-Taylor, 2018). Despite widespread backup from various women's corporations and groups, the United States Congress failed to act, and the bill was unable to go to a vote.

Social, Economic, and Political Factors Shaping The Genesis of the Policy

According to Ladd-Taylor (2018), State politics appeared to be helpful as well in the process of approving the Sheppard Act in 1921, which marked the climax of materialists' attempts in the course of the Progressive era to necessitate the federal council in a comprehensive campaign to assist enhance the healthiness of expectant mothers and their infants. Ladd-Taylor’s (2018) suggested that The Children's Bureau, with the assistance of various demographic senators and republic members of Congress, continued the journey of bringing back Lathrop's idea of a federal program she had suggested but did not proceed to a vote. In 1919, Horace Towner, a Republican congressman from Louisiana, and Morris Sheppard, a Democratic senator from Texas, decided to introduce a bill similar to Lathrop's (Ladd-Taylor, 2018). The Senate passed this bill, but it died in the House of Representatives in December 1920. After the bill failed again at this stage, Sheppard and his colleague Towner decided to reintroduce it when the United States Congress reconvened in 1921 (Ladd-Taylor, 2018). The Act was renamed the National Maternity and Infancy Act, and it is now commonly known as the Sheppard-Towner Maternity Act.

This bill had policies that it wished would be fulfilled. The Act had requested some appropriations in terms of the allocation of funds. It demanded an amount of 10 000 dollars in each state, followed by a supplemental four million dollars that were to be supplied yearly sub sequentially as a segment of a national matching endowment strategy. For the budget to utilize this amount of money, states would be entitled to an amount of 10 000 dollars grant, which would cater for designing and formulating strategies for educating women on fetal well-being and appropriate protection of their infants (Ladd-Taylor, 2018). Additionally, the federal money postulated under the Act was purposed to be equated dollar by a four million dollars-bill. The Children’s Bureau overlooks and manages the Act, which constrained nation administrators to communicate to the Bureau on the progression of the strategies established in their countries.

What are the Unintended or Unanticipated Consequences of the Policy?

Following the bill's passage through various councils, one group supported its passage, and another opposed it. Those who opposed it argued that if the Act was passed, it could inhibit the privatized medical operations and lead to fraternized medicine. Ladd-Taylor’s (2018) research notes that organizations and the American Medical Association and the Segmenton Pediatrics termed the strategy as socialistic. Therefore, they opposed the passing of the Act. In the subsequent years, they too opposed the Act funding of an initiative that led to the expiring of the Act. In addition, some critics also opposed the laws following community autonomy and state rights. They also opposed the Act as a contravention of the parent-child relationship (Ladd-Taylor, 2018). There was another group that also argued that the Act aimed to control families through the government bureaucracy. The group that supported the Act and wanted it approved, on the other hand, argued that it was aimed at empowering states and improving the healthcare of women and infants in parts ruined by poverty and high levels of illiteracy. Julia Lathrop of the United States Children's Bureau outlined the dialect used in the Act, while Jeannette Rankin planned to introduce the Act to Congress in 1919 (Ladd-Taylor, 2018).

According to Bezark (2021), Morris Sheppard and Horace introduced two similar Senate bills. The President, Warren G. Harding, bolstered the Sheppard Act, as he did to countless other developing causes. After being presented to the Senate in 1921, the bill was finally approved. This was after the statement had been thoroughly revised, particularly in terms of monetary allocation. When the Sheppard-Towner Act was authorized in 1921, Rankin was no longer a member of Congress. Bezark’s (2021) research notes that after he left Congress, Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas, an opponent of women's consensus, and Representative Horace Manin Towner of Louisiana, chairperson of the House Committee Insular Affairs, turned out the bill's prominent advocates. The bill was discussed for almost 12 hours and authorized by a vote count of 279 to 39 on November 19, 1921, with the former representative of the Rankin sitting in the House Gallery; various months before, the Senate had authorized it a correspondingly broad margin. Ridiculously, the only female member in Congress at the time, Oklahoma Representative Alice Mary Robertson, decided against the bill and disregarded it as harmful (Bezark, 2021). Analysts regard the Sheppard-Towner Act as a watershed moment in the evolution of social well-being strategies in the United States. The quantity of funds has been reduced to $5,000 per federation and 1.2 million dollars complementing federal funds. Research conducted by Bezark (2021) denoted that around 1992, after the Act was approved and accepted, nearly 41 states appeared to have supported its legislation, which was critical because it enabled the Act's funds to be accessible. These states began using the funds by establishing prenatal clinics to ensure that pregnant women delivered safely and received quality care for their babies. They also held seminars to educate pregnant women about infant health. They also distributed important health publications such as prenatal care and infant care publications obtained from the Children's Bureau.

Ethical Soundness of the Policy

Research conducted by Karch& Rose (2019) noted that The Sheppard Maternity Act of 1921 appeared ethically sound because its goals aimed at improving various groups in the United States of America. This Act was primarily concerned with enhancing an excellent initiative to reduce the alarming rates of maternal and infant mortality by providing financial assistance to states for prenatal and infant healthcare. Women activists were determined to ask Congress to approve the five-year program, which needed to be renewed by the same Congress in 1926, thanks to newly won voting rights. Despite these efforts, Supreme Court challenges the Act's constitutionality and significant opposition from the American Medical Association, which claimed that the Act would undermine private health care facilities operations, resulting in the Act's failure to be renewed by Congress. It had to expire in 1929 (Karch& Rose, 2019). Although the Act was only in effect for a short time, its positive impact lasted a long time. It was highly beneficial to a large number of children and women. As previously stated, this Act improved the provision of funds that aided countless children and women living in impoverished areas. Both Karch& Rose (2019) conducted thorough research that its findings suggested that prenatal clinics established during that period would raise apprehension of the significance of preventative health protection in reducing maternal and child fatality rates. Another improvement brought about by the Act was establishing that national and local organizations would play a significant role in individual health.

Effectiveness and Efficiency of the policy

The Sheppard-Towner Act was regarded as pivotal in legitimate American history. This was because it was the first federally funded social well-being strategy. Despite facing numerous challenges that resulted in its failure before the Supreme Court, this Act was regarded as very significant in providing quality services, particularly to expectant mothers and their infants. It was historically substantial, indirectly addressing the wants of women and children at the governmental level. Despite the difficulties encountered during the process, women activists such as Julia Lathrop, Jeannette Rankin, and Grace Abbott fully supported the Act's passage. Beyond winning the vote for women, these activists saw the Act as one of the women's freedom objectives. According to Dea (2006), The General Federation of Women's Clubs and the League of Women Voters worked hard to ensure that this Act was passed and implemented. These efforts represent one of the methods the women's rights organization proceeded to operate after suffrage was won in 1920. The importance of the Sheppard- Towner Act in public health history and progress is based primarily on the demonstration that preventive care and education stipulated by the national and local organization could have a remarkable effect on maternal and child fatality rates (Dea, 2006).

What Recommendations would you make to Amend the Policy for it to become more Effective, Efficient, and Ethically sound?

The Sheppard Maternity Act has been cited as one of the best federal programs ever implemented in the United States of America. It would have been preferable if Congress had fully supported the Act and ensured that it was renewed on time so that it could continue to play an important role in society. Allocating sufficient funds to all states would improve the Act's effectiveness because sufficient resources would now be available without difficulty or delay. As previously stated, the Act was more important than the unsubstantiated disadvantages mentioned, and it would have been a good idea if all of the leaders and their departments fully supported it. This initiative would have made the process much easier and faster to complete, making it much more efficient and effective.  Again, it would be preferable if the program was introduced in other parts of the world to address the common issues raised in the discussion. This initiative would once again be beneficial in lowering the global mortality rate. It would be preferable if this federal program lasted longer because it would lower the mortality rate of mothers and their infants in the United States. Although the bill was eventually approved by passing it through various Houses under the supervision of multiple representatives, it was a difficult task for great supporters such as Julia Lathrop, Jeannette Rankin, and Grace Abbot. These three should now be referred to as superheroes for their efforts in ensuring that the Sheppard-Towner bill was passed despite significant obstacles. The Sheppard-Towner is now considered efficient and effective because its benefits outweigh its drawbacks. The Act had no flaws, despite opponents' claims such as the American Medical Association that it would be socialistic. All of these oppositions were staged for the bill to fail and not be passed by the Senate and other Houses.

Unlike other federal programs, the Sheppard-Towner was primarily concerned with assisting expectant women and infants, particularly those living in the backcountry, in obtaining proper prenatal care. It was highly beneficial in the manner in which it operated, as previously discussed. Today, many families are not genuinely impoverished and may not obtain adequate prenatal services due to a lack of these prenatal clinics. Others, particularly pregnant women, lack sufficient information on the proper administration of prenatal care for their infants. They even deliver in their own homes, which is extremely dangerous for them because they and their babies could die during the delivery process. The Sheppard Maternity Act of 1921 addressed such incidents and ensured that mothers and their babies did not perish during the delivery process. In general, the Sheppard Maternity Act of 1921 was a significant act that needed to be renewed and extended to serve for a more extended period.

References

Bezark, M. (2021). “Our arithmetic was unique”: The Sheppard-Towner Act and the Constraints of Federalism on Data Collection Before the New Deal. Journal of policy history, 33(2), 183-204.

Dea, S. (2006). From suffrage to the Senate: America's political women: an encyclopedia of leaders, causes & issues. Millerton, New York: Grey House Pub

Karch, A. & Rose, S. (2019). Responsive states: federalism and American public policy. Cambridge, United Kingdom New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press

Ladd-Taylor, M. (2018). 13. Federal Help for Mothers: The Rise and Fall of the Sheppard-Towner Act in the I920s. In Gendered Domains (pp. 217-227). Cornell University Press.

Luke, J. (2018). Delivered by midwives: African American midwifery in the twentieth-century South. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.

Madgett, K. (2017). Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act (1921). Embryo Project Encyclopedia.