We can prevent stillbirths. Urge the Senate to Act Now! TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

As a doula, I know very well the joy and anticipation moms and families feel as they prepare to welcome a new baby into their family. And, sadly, I also know the crushing disappointment and relentless pain that losing that life through stillbirth can bring. No family should have to experience this loss.

→ Click here and add your name to our letter calling on the Senate to enact the Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act.

Tragically, 23,500 babies (65 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. [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.

Late last year the U.S House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act, named after Autumn Joy, who was stillborn on July 8, 2011. 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. [3]

→ Urge your Senator to support and pass the SHINE for Autumn Act

We can and we must do better to support the health of mothers and babies and to prevent further tragedies to expectant families. Autumn’s mom, Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya shares:

“With increased awareness and education for pregnant individuals and their families, better data collection, and dedicated resources, we can achieve the goals that stillbirth advocates like myself, and dedicated health providers and researchers have been working towards - for far too long.”

For Debbie, for Autumn, it is time. The Senate MUST act and SHINE a spotlight on this tragic maternal health crisis. 

→ 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.

https://action.momsrising.org/sign/SHINE22/?t=14&akid=17720%2E2840598%2EW74oON

Together we are a powerful voice for families!

- Tina, Monifa, Kristin and whole MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder 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.

References

[1] Cause of Fetal Death: Data From the Fetal Death Report, 2014, CDC
[2] Stillbirth, Data and Statistics, CDC
[3] H.R.5487 - SHINE for Autumn Act of 2021

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