Existing comment:
Landmark social welfare legislation
Under pressure from many national women's groups, Congress passed the Sheppard–Towner Maternity and Infancy Act just one year after ratification of the 19th Amendment. To combat high infant and maternal mortality, especially in rural areas, the act provided Federal funds for health education and nutrition services to mothers and babies. These maps from Indiana suggest the impact of the act on lowering infant mortality from 1920 to 1927. |