Stillbirth/SUID Bill (S 1862, HR 3418)
This bill will help find the reasons behind the worst thing to ever happen to a parent -- the death of their infant.
?There is no greater tragedy than when a parent loses a child ? but when that child is an infant, the pain is unbearable,? Lautenberg said in a news release. ?This bill will improve the way we collect data about these deaths so that researchers have the information they need, and it will provide families with the information and support they deserve. It?s time to finally unravel the mysteries behind these deaths.?
The Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act would expand current data-collection activities to identify the causes of stillbirth and ways to prevent it in the future. The legislation would create a national public awareness and education campaign to educate women about the risk factors for stillbirth and the importance of prenatal care, as well as educate parents and caregivers about known SUID risk factors.
If approved, the legislation also would expand support services, such as grief counseling, for families who have experienced a stillbirth or SUID loss and encourage states and local entities to complete scene investigations and autopsies to help determine causes of SUIDs. It would expand child death review programs to review the circumstances surrounding infant and child deaths and establish a national database to track SUID deaths and identify risk factors, the release said.
Every year, there are more than 25,000 stillbirths in the United States, the release said. Many of these deaths are the result of birth defects, infections, umbilical cord problems and chronic conditions of the mother. However, there is no known cause for as many as half of all stillbirths, which leaving many parents without explanations for their loss.
In addition, more than 4,600 sudden unexpected infant deaths occur each year and another 200 children between the ages 1 and 4 die without any obvious cause, the release said. Additional tragedies could be prevented if there were a better understanding of the deaths.
?No parent should have to endure the pain of losing a child, especially without knowing why that child was taken from them so soon,? Pallone said. ?Our legislation works for a better chance at life for our nation?s children and works to answer the questions parents face after they lose a child unexpectedly.?
At the event, Pallone and Lautenberg were joined by advocates; parents, who have been affected by either a sudden infant death or stillbirth, and leaders in the medical profession from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the SIDS Center of New Jersey.
The Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act would expand current data-collection activities to identify the causes of stillbirth and ways to prevent it in the future. The legislation would create a national public awareness and education campaign to educate women about the risk factors for stillbirth and the importance of prenatal care, as well as educate parents and caregivers about known SUID risk factors.
If approved, the legislation also would expand support services, such as grief counseling, for families who have experienced a stillbirth or SUID loss and encourage states and local entities to complete scene investigations and autopsies to help determine causes of SUIDs. It would expand child death review programs to review the circumstances surrounding infant and child deaths and establish a national database to track SUID deaths and identify risk factors, the release said.
Every year, there are more than 25,000 stillbirths in the United States, the release said. Many of these deaths are the result of birth defects, infections, umbilical cord problems and chronic conditions of the mother. However, there is no known cause for as many as half of all stillbirths, which leaving many parents without explanations for their loss.
In addition, more than 4,600 sudden unexpected infant deaths occur each year and another 200 children between the ages 1 and 4 die without any obvious cause, the release said. Additional tragedies could be prevented if there were a better understanding of the deaths.
?No parent should have to endure the pain of losing a child, especially without knowing why that child was taken from them so soon,? Pallone said. ?Our legislation works for a better chance at life for our nation?s children and works to answer the questions parents face after they lose a child unexpectedly.?
At the event, Pallone and Lautenberg were joined by advocates; parents, who have been affected by either a sudden infant death or stillbirth, and leaders in the medical profession from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the SIDS Center of New Jersey.
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