Stillbirth Prevention Legislation

Raise the Volume on the Stillbirth Crisis

Stillbirth is a public health crisis, with approximately 21,000 babies born still every year in the United States― more than the number of deaths resulting from prematurity, SIDS, car accidents, drowning, guns, fire, poison, and flu combined. Racial disparities persist in stillbirth, with 1 out of every 97 Black pregnancies ending in stillbirth. Native Pacific Islander, Hispanic and Indigenous women are also at greater risk of losing their babies. And yet, even with numbers like these, stillbirth remains one of the most underfunded and understudied public health issues in the United States.

In honor of the tens of thousands of babies stillborn every year in this country, we are asking you to take a minute out of your day to urge your members of Congress to cosponsor both the bipartisan and bicameral Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act (H.R. 5012/S.2647) and the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act (H.R. 4581/S. 2231). Momentum is building to address the stillbirth crisis --- the U.S. Senate recently passed the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act on unanimous consent.

The SHINE for Autumn Act was reintroduced into Congress on July 27, 2023, by Congresswoman Young Kim (CA-40), Congresswoman Kathy Castor (FL-14), Congressman David P. Joyce (OH-14), Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02), along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). SHINE would create the first comprehensive, federal-state partnership to reduce the incidence of stillbirth in our country. The bill would focus on preventing stillbirth through enhanced data collection, research, education, and awareness. Without progress in these areas, we are very limited in what we can do to protect families and help them bring their babies home safely in their arms. In the 117th Congress, the SHINE for Autumn Act, H.R. 5487, passed the House, under suspension, with overwhelming majority and bipartisan support (408-18) on December 8, 2021.

The Maternal & Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate on July 11, 2023 by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and recently PASSED the Senate on unanimous consent. The bill was also reintroduced in the U.S. House on July 12, 2023 by Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC). The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act would clarify that stillbirth prevention activities are an allowable use of funds under Title V of the Social Security Act to further support stillbirth prevention and research. This bill recognizes that stillbirth, and the disparity in those impacted by stillbirth requires further research, support, and prevention programming. Currently only 16 out of 50 states use their Title V funds on stillbirth prevention.

Constituents like you have the power to influence your member’s priorities. Please take action by personalizing and completing the form email on the right hand side of your screen. Let your members of Congress know why we need them to pass BOTH the SHINE for Autumn Act and the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act to help prevent families nationwide from the devastation of stillbirth!

Thank you for taking action to combat this crisis in loving memory of Autumn and the tens of thousands of babies born still every year. The time is NOW to raise the volume on the silent stillbirth epidemic in this country!  

To learn more about the SHINE Act click here. To learn more about the Stillbirth Prevention Act click here.