Your voice matters. We can prevent stillbirths. Urge Congress to Act! TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

Today, September 19th, we recognize National Stillbirth Prevention Day honoring the tens of thousands of families who have lost a baby to stillbirth every year. Now is the time to pass critical legislation that can help address the tragic loss of stillbirth.

→ Sign our letter telling Congress to pass the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act!

Tragically, 21,000 babies (58 a day) are stillborn every year in the United States - that is more deaths than prematurity, SIDS, car accidents, drowning, guns, fire, poison, and flu COMBINED. This is equivalent to losing nearly three classes of kindergarteners every day for an entire year. [1] Longstanding and persistent racial disparities means that Black mothers experience stillbirths at double the rate of their white counterparts. [2]

And yet stillbirth remains one of the most underfunded and understudied public health issues today. But as dire as this picture looks, we can do something about it―right now.

When we raise our voices, we win!  In fact, we just passed the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act which took the first step towards stillbirth prevention. [3] Now we must take the critical next step with the bipartisan Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act, named after Autumn Joy, who was stillborn on July 8, 2011, across the finish line. This legislation is the beginning of a longer-term solution towards the prevention of stillbirth in the United States. The bill will make critical steps to invest in research and data collection required to better understand and prevent stillbirth in the United States. [4]

The SHINE for Autumn Act needs to pass before the end of the 118th Congress (2024).The remaining legislative days in Congress are limited, but it is not too late to pass SHINE.

 →Act now! Tell Congress to pass the SHINE for Autumn Act before they adjourn.

In an instant, the joy and anticipation moms and families feel as they prepare to welcome a new baby into their family can turn into crushing disappointment and relentless pain that losing that life through stillbirth can bring. No family should ever have to experience this loss.

We can and we must do better to support the health of mothers and babies and to prevent further tragedies to expectant families.

→ Add your name now so I can make sure your voice is heard too, and be sure to share the link below with your friends and family so they can also take action.

Together we are a powerful voice for families!

- Tina, Monifa, Kristin and the entire MomsRising Team

P.S. Have you or someone you loved experienced the tragic loss of a stillbirth?  Please consider sharing your story. Your personal story, your experience matters and will help bring a deeper understanding to why the SHINE for Autumn Act is so critically important to families.

[1] Cause of Fetal Death: Data From the Fetal Death Report, 2015-2017, CDC

[2] Data and Statistics on Stillbirth, CDC

[3] Bills Signed: H.R. 1240, H.R. 4581, The White House

[4] H.R.5012 - SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023 / S.2647 - SHINE for Autumn Act of 2023

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