[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 25, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H6721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SIDS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Foley] is recognized during 
morning business for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FOLEY. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking 
before the fourth SIDS international conference taking place in 
Bethesda, MD.
  This conference brought together researchers, health professionals, 
and parents from around the world to discuss recent and future efforts 
in the fight against sudden infant death syndrome.
  SIDS is the No. 1 cause of death among infants between the ages of 1 
week and 1 year, striking infants of all countries and cultures.
  This tragic disease is responsible for the death of over 6,000 babies 
in the United States each year.
  The sudden death of a child is a painful experience for any parent, 
especially when the infant is otherwise healthy and there is no 
apparent explanation for the child's death.
  The good news is we have found ways to lower the risks of SIDS and we 
are now closer than ever to understanding the underlying causes of this 
condition.
  My personal interest in SIDS stems from my work as a Florida State 
Senator when I met Stephanie Quick, a mother who had lost her son, 
Michael, to SIDS.
  Michael was just 2 months old when he passed away. At the time of his 
death, there were few, if any, services in Florida available to 
families such as Stephanie's who had suffered such a tragic and 
unexplainable loss.
  Since that meeting when I first learned about SIDS, I have worked on 
State legislation and public education efforts promoting research, 
support services for grieving families, training for first responders, 
and guidelines for death scene protocol.
  Last year in Congress I, along with Senators Hollings and Stevens, 
sponsored the first congressional SIDS briefing to promote SIDS 
awareness by educating our colleagues and their staff about research 
and prevention efforts.
  This even focused attention on the national ``Back to Sleep'' 
campaign which encourages the placement of healthy babies on their back 
or side to sleep.
  Today, more and more parents are taking preventive steps such as this 
to lower the risks of SIDS.
  Preliminary studies of the Back to Sleep campaign indicate the number 
of SIDS deaths in the United States is declining.
  This is an important finding that reflects similar reports from other 
countries which have also seen a drop in SIDS deaths when babies are 
placed on their back to sleep.
  While this news is very encouraging, more work is necessary if we are 
to reach our goal of eliminating SIDS.
  The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is the 
Federal agency responsible for health care research in the area of 
SIDS.
  A recent study revealed that a brain defect in some SIDS babies could 
interfere with normal respiratory activity in infants and play a part 
in SIDS deaths.
  This important finding underscores the critical need for 
congressional support of federally funded research and will provide us 
with valuable knowledge in the fight against SIDS.
  It is my hope that our continued commitment to SIDS research will 
shed new light on the mystery behind SIDS and bring us closer to 
finding a cure to this cruel and tragic condition.

                              {time}  1115

  I would like to take a moment to especially thank my legislative aid, 
Cherie Lott, who has worked so tirelessly on bringing this issue to the 
forefront of the U.S. Congress. I think it can prove, without question, 
that this Congress is committed to caring for our children, caring for 
our parents and to maintain the best possible health care for all 
Americans.

                          ____________________