Stillbirth remains one of the most devastating & least addressed public health crises in the U.S. Urge Congress to Act
Dear Friend,
This week we recognize National Stillbirth Prevention Day honoring the tens of thousands of families who experience the unimaginable pain of losing a baby to stillbirth every year. We honor them AND we demand action to end these preventable tragedies.
Stillbirth remains one of the most devastating and least addressed public health crises in the United States.
More than 21,000 babies are stillborn each year in the U.S. That’s 58 babies a day! That’s more than the number of deaths caused by prematurity, SIDS, car accidents, drowning, guns, fires, poisoning, and flu COMBINED. It’s the equivalent of nearly three kindergarten classrooms lost every single day. [1] And because of deep, systemic inequities in health care, Black mothers experience stillbirths at twice the rate of white mothers, a heartbreaking disparity that’s persisted for decades. [2]
And yet, stillbirth remains one of the most underfunded, under-researched, and overlooked public health issues.
But here’s the good news: We can do something about it. And we are.
Last year, we won a big victory together when the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act was signed into law.[3] It is the first federal legislation acknowledging stillbirth as a public health priority. That was step one.
Now we must take the next critical step: passing the SHINE for Autumn Act—a bipartisan bill named in honor of Autumn Joy, who was stillborn on July 8, 2011. This bill will provide vital investments in research, data collection, and community awareness to help us finally address and prevent stillbirth in the U.S.
In an instant, the joy and anticipation of welcoming a new baby can turn into crushing grief. No parent should have to endure that pain alone—or without the full force of our government working to understand and prevent it.
We can and must do better.
Let’s stand together to protect moms, babies, and families.
