Hinson’s Bipartisan, Bicameral Push to Designate September 19th as National Stillbirth Prevention Day Garners Robust Support
Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-02) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation with to designate September 19th as National Stillbirth Prevention Day with Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12). Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
The legislation garnered robust support from 34 maternal and health care organizations: 1st Breath, 2 Degrees Foundation, Aaliyah in Action, American College of Nurse-Midwives, Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Every Breath Counts Coalition, Every Mother Counts, Griffin Cares Foundation, Healthy Birth Day, Her Foundation, JustActions, March for Moms, March of Dimes, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, Measure the Placenta, Mom Congress, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National League for Nursing, Perinatal Health Equity Initiative, Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, Postpartum Support International, Preeclampsia Foundation, PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, Reproductive and Placental Research Unit, Yale University School of Medicine, Reproductive Health Impact, Return to Zero: HOPE, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Society for Reproductive Investigation, Star Legacy Foundation, Start Healing Together, The Shades of Blue Project, and What to Expect Project.
“Before my daughter Autumn was stillborn, 12 years ago, I never knew what a stillbirth was or that something so devastating and life-altering, could ever happen to me. The stigma that surrounds stillbirth is harmful to families experiencing the loss of their deeply loved baby, to future families at risk, and it has hindered public health efforts to prevent future tragedies. The tragically neglected stillbirth crisis has gone ignored for far too long in the United States. With the designation of September 19, 2023, as “National Stillbirth Prevention Day’’, stillbirth is finally beginning to receive the attention that it has long deserved. I’m immensely grateful for the leadership and support of our bipartisan stillbirth champions in Congress who made today possible and continue to work with us to make stillbirth a tragedy of the past. On behalf of Autumn and all babies lost too soon- thank you for recognizing that we can and must do better!” - Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya, mother to Autumn who the SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023 is named after, 2 Degrees Foundation
"Griffin Cares Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing peer support for families who are coping with stillbirth and infant death. While we are firmly dedicated to our mission, our ideal vision is for a time when our services are no longer needed because stillbirth has become an issue of the past and families no longer have to grieve a preventable loss of a beloved child. Awareness is the key step in this process and it is our honor to share our support." - Griffin Cares Foundation
"On National Stillbirth Prevention Day, we remember the more than 21,000 families who have lost a baby to stillbirth. We must act to ensure that preventable stillbirth - at least a quarter of stillbirths - ends. Stillbirth increases the likelihood of maternal death and increases the risk of maternal morbidities by four times. Women also are two to four times more likely to suffer from depression or other mental illness following a stillbirth. This resolution reflects our understanding that we need to do more to address an often silent maternal and infant crisis." - Stacey Y. Brayboy, Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, March of Dimes.
"Stillbirth is one of the most understudied and underfunded health crises today in the United States. Too many families are destroyed, only to learn later that their baby's death may have been preventable. Now is the time to invest in fixing these issues to end this national tragedy." - Measure the Placenta
“According to CDC data, approximately 1 in 175 births result in stillbirth and racial disparities in health care put Black, Hispanic, Native Pacific Islander and Indigenous families at great risk. Therefore, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners proudly supports National Stillbirth Prevention Day. It is imperative that we raise awareness and increase funding for research into stillbirths so the health care and scientific communities can develop preventative strategies to improve birth outcomes.” - President Dr. Regena Spratling, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
“The National League for Nursing is deeply troubled by the stubbornly high stillbirth rate in the U.S., with racial and economic disparities putting minority and indigenous families in the greatest danger of losing a child. Evidence indicates that pregnant persons are more likely to experience stillbirth if they fail to track fetal movements frequently or are not asked to do so by their health care providers. The NLN applauds Reps. Hinson and Adams for their leadership in increasing public knowledge of the causes and prevention of stillbirths.” - The National League of Nursing, President and Chief Executive Officer Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN
"Research shows that at minimum 25% of U.S. stillbirths are preventable, including 47% of term stillbirths; if we matched the rates of our best international peers, we could potentially be averting up to 75% of these tragedies. It is completely unacceptable that medical and public health leadership in our nation continues to sit on their hands while every single day we are losing three kindergarten classes worth of children - and most parents are never even informed of this risk or how to protect their babies until it's already too late. Enough is enough. Let's make this the year that we stop turning a collective blind eye to the senseless deaths of tens of thousands of our children, and finally come together to end preventable stillbirth." - PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy
"The overarching goal of the Reproductive and Placental Research Until at Yale University is to help all families that have suffered a stillbirth to understand why they lost their child and to work tirelessly to prevent stillbirth for all pregnant people." - Reproductive and Placental Research Unit, Yale University School of Medicine
“Stillbirth is one of the most common adverse pregnancy outcomes in the United States; yet, a significant proportion of stillbirths remain unexplained. On behalf of the nation’s experts in high-risk pregnancies, SMFM endorses the House Resolution to designate September 19, 2023, as National Stillbirth Prevention Day and thanks Representatives Hinson and Adams for their leadership in raising awareness of the need for more research, better data collection, and support for those who have experienced stillbirth." - Christina Wurster, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM).
"One child loss is one too many. We can make this all different. We will not stop fighting until there is no longer a need to do so." - The Shades of Blue Project
“After months and months of excited anticipation and preparation, childbirth should deliver joy –– a healthy baby into the welcoming arms of loving parents, with those first long-awaited, often-imagined, sweet skin-skin snuggles marking the beginning of a lifetime of nurturing. But for the over 20,000 families who suffer a stillbirth in the US every year, arms are left empty, hearts broken, lives forever shattered. Every loss of a baby is unthinkable, but every loss that’s preventable –– as so many stillbirths are –– is unacceptable. But we can’t prevent what we don’t acknowledge, or research, or even speak about. It’s time to end the silence surrounding stillbirth. To honor the babies lost and the parents who have lost them by raising awareness and calling for action, so that other parents won’t experience a preventable loss. That’s why the WTEP and I are proud to support this bipartisan resolution recognizing September 19th as National Stillbirth Prevention Day. We’re grateful for the passionate leadership and tireless efforts and commitment from Representatives Hinson and Adams and Senators Merkley, Grassley and Booker on behalf of all our moms.” - Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting and founder of the What to Expect Project
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