[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 130 (Tuesday, October 17, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H9989-H9990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MEMORIAL DAY
Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 415) expressing the sense of the
Congress that there should be established a National Children's
Memorial Day.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 415
Whereas approximately 80,000 infants, children, teenagers,
and young adults of families living throughout the United
States die each year from myriad causes;
Whereas the death of an infant child, teenager, or young
adult of a family is considered to be one of the greatest
tragedies that a parent or family will ever endure during a
lifetime; and
Whereas a supportive environment and empathy and
understanding are considered critical factors in the healing
process of a family that is coping with and recovering from
the loss of a loved one: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That--
(1) it is the sense of the Congress that there should be
established a National Children's Memorial Day; and
(2) the Congress requests that the President issue a
proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to
observe such a day with appropriate ceremonies and activities
in remembrance of the many infants, children, teenagers, and
young adults in the United States who have died.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Ose) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).
General Leave
Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on House Concurrent Resolution 415.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have the House consider House
Concurrent Resolution 415, introduced by my colleague, the gentleman
from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg).
This legislation expresses the sense of Congress that a National
Children's Memorial Day should be established. Additionally, it asks
the President to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the
United States to observe such a day, with appropriate ceremonies and
activities, in remembrance of the many infants, children, teenagers,
and young adults in the United States who have died.
Madam Speaker, the death of a child at any age is a shattering
experience for any family. By establishing a day to remember children
that have passed away, bereaved families from all over the country will
be encouraged and supported in the positive resolution of their grief.
It is important to families who have suffered such a loss to know that
they are not alone. To commemorate the lives of these children with a
special day would pay them an honor, and help to bring comfort to the
hearts of their bereaved families.
For the past 2 years, the Senate has recognized the second Sunday in
December as National Children's Memorial Day. Last year, the House
passed a resolution similar to what we are considering here today.
As a husband, and father of two young girls, I can think of nothing
more terrifying than losing one of mine. They are my daily source of
joy and inspiration. Yet, approximately 80,000 infants, children,
teenagers, and young adults die each year from any number of reasons.
After losing a child, parents and siblings are left with a void in
their life. Questions are left unanswered. So many things are left
unsaid. Those of us who have not experienced such loss are unable to
adequately communicate our sympathy, and fail in our task to comfort
the bereaved.
To this end, a support network can be of great assistance. The
Children's Memorial Day provides an opportunity for these families to
collectively express their pain and to form these support networks.
For example, on December 10, starting in New Zealand, candles will be
lit for 1 hour, beginning at 7 p.m. local times, creating a 24-hour
observance around the globe. This simple act goes a long way to help
those who have lost a child, a grandchild, a sibling, or a friend,
particularly during the December holiday season, when the loss is the
most difficult to bear.
This simple and easy resolution may not seem like much to many, but I
can assure the Members that to those families who have lost loved ones,
the support that we show here today will go a long way in helping them
cope with that loss.
It is important for families who have suffered such a loss to know
they are not alone. Please help us in passing this resolution. I ask
Members to express their support for this worthy and noble cause by
voting aye. We carry the responsibility to honor and remember those who
have died before their time. As compassionate concerned citizens, one
of the best actions we can take is to support those who are left
behind.
Madam Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I agree with the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose),
this is a very, very important resolution. I think when one looks at it
on its
[[Page H9990]]
face we may not fully understand its significance, but it is so
important.
Yesterday, hundreds of families journeyed to Washington, D.C. to
celebrate the importance of family and to examine the vital role that
families play in maintaining stable and prosperous communities. In
years past, we have had the Million Man March, the Million Moms March,
but this time our children were encouraged to participate. Many
thousands of children did attend the march, and some even addressed the
crowds about issues that were of particular concern to them.
The Nation took special note of our children yesterday in a positive
and inspirational way. We adults were compelled to contemplate the
world we have made for them, full of good times and bad, hope and
despair, life and death.
Yesterday in the Middle East, Madam Speaker, during the ongoing
violence involving the Palestinians and the Israelis, a child was left
brain dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The loss of a child, no
matter what the circumstances and no matter where, causes tremendous
personal grief for the family and friends. It causes some of us to stop
and reflect on the loss, and sometimes consider, could or should we
have done something to prevent it. It also makes us think about all the
unmet and unfulfilled dreams of those children and their families.
It is devastating to me when young lives are cut short. Those
affected by such a tragedy often need assistance and support to get
through the experience. I am glad to know that help is available. The
Compassionate Friends, Incorporated, also known as TCF, is a group
whose mission is to assist families in the positive resolution of grief
following the death of a child.
TCF conceived and nurtured the worldwide candlelighting. In its
fourth year, the candlelighting is held in the second Sunday in
December. Participants around the globe light candles for 1 hour to
honor children who have died. The candles are lit at 7 p.m. local time
starting in New Zealand. As candles burn down in each time zone, they
are then lit in the next. This creates a virtual 24-hour wave of light
as the observance continues around the world.
In the United States, approximately 228,000 children and young adults
die every year. Nineteen percent of the adult population has
experienced the death of a child, and 22 percent the death of a
sibling. Taking into account people who have lost a child and sibling,
36 percent of the adult population has suffered the death of a child, a
sibling, or both.
Madam Speaker, just yesterday in my district I spoke at the West
Baltimore Middle School to 37 eighth graders. I asked them a very
simple question, but the answer was very telling. I asked them how many
of them had had a loved one, a friend, a young person to die by gun
violence. Out of those 37 children living in the inner city of
Baltimore, 35 raised their hands. That is here in America. That happens
in our cities and even in our rural areas. We certainly grieve for
those families.
House Concurrent Resolution 415 expresses, therefore, the sense of
Congress that a National Children's Memorial Day should be established
to remember the infants, children, teenagers, and young adults in the
United States who have died.
As we remember America's children, let us also remember those who
grieve for them. Whether it be from gun violence, an airplane or car
crash, a miscarriage, or a terminal illness, the loss of a child is
something no parent, no parent, should have to experience, but many do.
Children's Memorial Day is a time when we as individuals and as a
nation can show our compassion to those who have suffered such a loss.
Madam Speaker, I have often said that our children are the living
messages we send to a future we will never see. It is sad to think that
so often our children die before their parents, so we have no message
to send to the future. Hopefully, on this Memorial Day, when we think
about our children who have died, we will also think about ways that we
can prevent them from dying so that they can experience this wonderful
journey called life.
Many organizations and support groups, such as the Compassionate
Friends, exist to help bereaved parents deal with their grief. Yet,
only 46 percent of parents are aware of them. Let us join TCF in
observing December 10 as Children's Memorial Day, and let it serve as
an opportunity for grief support organizations and churches to increase
awareness of their services and programs.
Madam Speaker, I urge our Members to vote in favor of this very
important and wonderful legislation that has been sponsored by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg), and I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I want to also commend the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. Knollenberg) for introducing this important bill, and for his
efforts to bring it to the floor. I would like to thank the
distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), the ranking
member, for cosponsoring this bill, and for his continued work on this
subject.
Again, I would like to thank the full committee chairman, the
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), the chairman of the subcommittee,
the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Scarborough), and the ranking member,
the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), for their support.
If passed, Madam Speaker, this will be the third consecutive year we
will have designated the second Sunday in December as Children's
Memorial Day. I urge Members to lend their support.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I would urge that all Members support this
legislation. I would thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) for
his leadership with regard to Children's issues.
As he talked about his daughters, I could not help but think about
the little prayer, Madam Speaker, that we say so often with our
children: ``Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to
keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.''
Anyone who has knelt over a child and said that prayer, they cannot
help but feel tingles and sometimes a tear at just the thought of that
child not rising, just the thought of that child not being able to live
out the full potential that God has given to them.
Madam Speaker, I urge our membership to support this very important
resolution, but in supporting this, I hope that when December 10 comes
that we will also, as a Congress and as a body and as a country and as
a world, do everything in our power to make sure that every one of our
children, no matter where they are, no matter who they are, are able to
rise up to be all that they can be, and be the best that they can be.
{time} 1530
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res.
415.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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