{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-merkley-grassley-hinson-and-adams-shine-light-on-stillbirth-prevention", "Booker, Merkley, Grassley, Hinson, and Adams Shine Light on Stillbirth Prevention", "2024-09-19", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) teamed up with U.S. Representatives Ashley Hinson (R-IA-01) and Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (D-NC-12) to introduce a bipartisan, bicameral resolution recognizing September 19th as National Stillbirth Prevention Day.\n\nEarlier this year, the bipartisan Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act\u2014led by Merkley in the Senate and Hinson and Adams in the House\u2014was signed into law by President Biden to help save the lives of mothers and babies across America. With at least 25 percent of stillbirths being potentially preventable, this resolution stresses the need for continued stillbirth prevention activities in the United States.\n\n\u201cThousands of families grapple with the unimaginable pain of stillbirths, and, devastatingly, Black women and underserved communities are disproportionately impacted by these tragedies,\u201d Booker said. \u201cBy designating September 19 as National Stillbirth Prevention Day, we will help raise awareness, promote research and develop solutions so all mothers and babies, regardless of their background or circumstances, have access to the care and support they deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cA single family affected by stillbirth is one too many. Yet this tragedy impacts thousands across America, upending the lives of individuals and families from all walks of life,\u201d Merkley said. \u201cGetting my Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act signed into law was an important first step, but we must do more to reduce the alarming rate of stillbirth, which disproportionately impacts Black, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native women. This National Stillbirth Prevention Day we recommit to doing everything we can to end this public health crisis, so no one again ever has to experience the trauma of stillbirth.\u201d\n\n\u201cIowa has made strides towards reducing stillbirths in our state. This bipartisan resolution recognizes researchers like we have in Iowa, as well as care providers and advocates. It also reaffirms our goal to improve maternal care resources, particularly in rural areas,\u201d Grassley said. \u201cNo mom should know the heartbreak of a stillbirth. I\u2019m glad to be partnering on a number of federal legislative efforts to help target contributing factors and save babies\u2019 lives.\u201d\n\n\u201cOver 21,000 babies are stillborn in the U.S. each year. This rate is unacceptably high, and we must do more to ensure more women experience healthy pregnancies and have healthy babies. I am proud to lead this bipartisan, bicameral effort to recognize September 19th as National Stillbirth Prevention Day to raise awareness about stillbirth prevention so we can help save more moms and babies,\u201d Hinson said.\n\n\u201cI was proud to co-lead the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act and see it pass into law this year, which will increase awareness for families on how to prevent this painful, yet common experience. Today we recommit to ending stillbirth and to giving more families a chance to be whole. This is just the beginning, and I am committed to doing my part on behalf of all of America\u2019s families,\u201d Adams said.\n\nAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every 175 U.S. births tragically result in stillbirth\u2014accounting for nearly 21,000 stillbirths a year\u2014more stillbirths annually than the number of babies who pass away during their first year of life. In the last two decades, the stillbirth rate in the United States declined by a negligible 0.4 percent. In a report published by the World Health Organization comparing progress in improving stillbirth rates, the United States ranked 183 out of 195 countries.\n\n\"For the third year in a row, and under Senator Merkley's leadership, we pause to recognize the crisis of stillbirth in this country and celebrate progress on stillbirth prevention efforts. When Congress recognizes this important day, when buildings and bridges are lit up across the country, and moms and dads make their voices heard through OpEds and sharing their personal stories of loss --- progress happens and lives are saved. We mourn the tens of thousands of babies who should be with their families right now and accelerate progress so no other family has to endure the tragedy of stillbirth,\" said Emily Price, Healthy Birth Day Inc. CEO.\n\nIn the Senate, the resolution is cosponsored by Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). Healthy Birth Day Inc., Charles Martin Corvi Fund, Birth and Breastfeeding in Color Inc, American College of Nurse-Midwives, Aaliyah in Action, Yale University Reproductive and Placental Research Unit, Yale University, The Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Foundation, Nitamising Gimashkikinaan Our First Medicine Indigenous Perinatal and Lactation Support Circle, Division of Indian Work, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, 1st Breath, 2 Degrees, Dieudonne Foundation, Jace\u2019s Journey, Start Healing Together, In the Arms Of Jesus Grief Support, Healing Our Hearts Foundation, Matties Memory, Society for Reproductive Investigation, March of Dimes, Measure the Placenta, Nurturing Babyhood N\u2019 Beyond LLC, PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, March for Moms, Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, Gifts from Liam, Mera\u2019s Mission, and Kansas Birth Justice Society also endorsed the resolution.\n\nPrevious Efforts\n\nLast year, Booker reintroduced the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act, legislation that aims to reduce the alarmingly high U.S. stillbirth rate. Named after Autumn Joy, a New Jersey baby who was stillborn in 2011, the bill would provide critical resources to states, local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other related federal agencies to improve data collection and increase education and awareness of stillbirth in the United States.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-merkley-grassley-hinson-and-adams-shine-light-on-stillbirth-prevention"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2967810034751892, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}