[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 101 (Tuesday, June 20, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H6095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME [SIDS]

  (Mr. FOLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, today, Representative Tim Johnson of South 
Dakota and I want to send a wake-up call to our colleagues about the 
No. 1 killer of infants during their first year of life: Sudden infant 
death syndrome, otherwise known as SIDS or crib death.
  SIDS is defined as the ``Sudden death of an infant under 1 year of 
age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, 
including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death 
scene, and review of the clinical history.''
  The tragic and unexpected loss of a newborn is devastating to 
parents. What makes this disheartening experience even more agonizing 
is when doctors have no medical explanation for the infant's death.
  SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants between the ages of 
1 week and 1 year and strikes infants of all countries and cultures--in 
the United States alone, there are between 6,000 to 7,500 infants who 
unexpectedly die of SIDS each year.
  As a new Member of the 104th Congress, I remain committed to 
increasing national public awareness about SIDS and educating parents 
about steps they can take to reduce the risks of SIDS.
  In 1994, a national ``Back to Sleep'' public education campaign was 
launched by Federal and private entities.
  The goal of this campaign is to encourage parents to place healthy 
babies on their backs or sides to sleep which research has shown to 
reduce the risk of SIDS.
  Representative Johnson and I have sent important information to each 
office about the ``Back to Sleep'' campaign and SIDS public service 
announcements. We encourage our colleagues to send this vital message 
about SIDS prevention home to your constituents.


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