Please Support the Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2022
It is unacceptable that 47,000 expectant parents will lose their baby to stillbirth this year --- a number that will likely climb due to the devastating effect COVID-19 is having on moms and babies during pregnancy. Currently, the annual number of stillbirths far exceeds the number of deaths among children aged 0-14 years from preterm birth, SIDS, accidents, drownings, guns, fire, and flu combined. Without your help this silent crisis is only going to get worse.
The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2022 is a critical piece of legislation that would add stillbirth and stillbirth prevention to Title V of the Social Security Act — something that has been lacking since the introduction of Title V funding back in 1935. I encourage you to please support this bill.
The legislation recognizes that stillbirth (defined as the loss of a baby at 20 weeks or greater during pregnancy), and the disparity in those impacted by stillbirth, requires further research, support, and prevention programming. It also calls for evidence-based programs and activities and outcome research to reduce the incidence of stillbirth including tracking and awareness of fetal movements, improvement of birth timing for pregnant people with risk factors, initiatives that encourage safe sleeping positions for pregnant people, screening and surveillance for fetal growth restriction, efforts to achieve smoking cessation amongst pregnant people, community-based programs that provide home visits or other types of support, and any other research or evidence-based programming to prevent stillbirths.
The following organizations have endorsed the bill: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Every Mother Counts, Healthy Birth Day, Inc., March of Dimes, Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, Measure the Placenta, Mom Congress, Moms Rising Together, PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, Reproductive and Placental Research Unit-Yale School of Medicine, Return to Zero: HOPE, 1st Breath, 2020 Mom, and Star Legacy Foundation.
We would be so grateful for your support --- we encourage you to sign on as a co-sponsor today.