Hinson Leads Series of Legislative Efforts to Ensure Support for Mothers and Babies

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02), alongside Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (D-NC-12) and Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution recognizing September 19th as National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day. 
 
This follows a series of legislative efforts in the maternal health care space led by Rep. Hinson, including the reintroduction of her bicameral HEALING Mothers and Fathers Act, helping introduce a House resolution to support prenatal screening for Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), a treatable blood clotting disorder linked to miscarriages, stillbirths, and pregnancy complications, along with the reintroduction of the MOMS Act and the SHINE for Autumn Act, which was also reintroduced today. 
 
Last summer, Hinson's bipartisan, bicameral Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act was signed into law to help save the lives of mothers and babies across America. With at least 25 percent of stillbirths being potentially preventable, the resolution stresses the need for strengthened stillbirth prevention activities in the United States. 
 
“Improving prenatal education and access to maternal care—especially in rural areas where women may travel over an hour to see a provider—is critical to protecting babies and reducing maternal deaths. Passing my Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Act last year was a major step, but more must be done to support expecting moms and prevent stillbirths. I’m proud to reintroduce this resolution recognizing September 19th as National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day and will continue working across the aisle to end the tragedy of stillbirth.” – Congresswoman Ashley Hinson
 
“For too long, stillbirth has been a silent crisis that remains under-discussed, under-researched, and under-funded. Today’s resolution seeks to change that. I’m proud to introduce the National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day resolution so more families can be given the information and resources they need to prevent stillbirth in their pregnancies. Together, we can bring an end to this public health crisis and better protect the health of our mothers and their children.” – Congresswoman Alma S. Adams
 
“Each year, 21,000 babies are stillborn in the United States, bringing devastation to parents and families. We can and must do more to save babies’ lives and improve pre-natal care. Our resolution raises awareness of stillbirths and emphasizes how federal resources can empower the medical communities’ work on evidence-based practices to prevent these tragedies.” – Senator Chuck Grassley 

“A single stillbirth is one too many, and we must do more to reduce the alarming rate of stillbirth, which devastates families and happens at a higher rate to Black, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Alaska Native women. Getting my Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act signed into law was an important first step; and on this National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day, we recommit to doing everything we can to end this dire public health crisis, so no family has to experience the trauma of stillbirth.” – Senator Jeff Merkley
 
“Nobody should have to experience the immense sorrow of losing a baby. We must address the maternal and infant health crisis that continues to result in thousands of families grappling with the unthinkable every year in the United States. This National Stillbirth Prevention Day, we are recommitting ourselves in Congress to raising awareness about stillbirth and ensuring every mom and baby has the care they need so we can save lives.” – Senator Cory Booker

Support for the resolution also comes from Healthy Birth Day Inc., 1st Breath, Matties Memory Inc, In the Arms of Jesus Comfort + Advocacy, The Little Timmy Project, Measure the Placenta, PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, Reproductive and Placental Research Unit-Yale University, Jace’s Journey, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Miles’ Mission, American College of Nurse-Midwives, Aaliyah in Action, Start Healing Together, Society for Reproductive Investigation, Mera’s Mission, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Gifts from Liam, March of Dimes, and Return to Zero: HOPE.
 
The full text of the resolution can be found here. 
Background: 

• Stillbirth is the unexpected loss of a child after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Over 23,000 babies are stillborn in the U.S. every year, and nearly one in four stillbirths are preventable. In the last two decades, the stillbirth rate in the United States declined by a negligible 0.9 percent. 

 
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