[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 124 (Thursday, September 28, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H7742-H7743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL PREGNANCY AND INFANT LOSS 
                            REMEMBRANCE DAY

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 222) supporting the goals 
and ideals of National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 222

       Whereas each year, approximately one million pregnancies in 
     the United States end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or the 
     death of a newborn baby;
       Whereas it is a great tragedy to lose the life of a child;
       Whereas even the shortest lives are still valuable, and the 
     grief of those who mourn the loss of these lives should not 
     be trivialized;
       Whereas during the past 3 years, Governors of all 50 States 
     have signed proclamations designating October 15 as Pregnancy 
     and Infant Loss Remembrance Day;
       Whereas the legislatures of the States of Arkansas, Kansas, 
     Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, and 
     South Dakota have passed concurrent resolutions recognizing 
     October 15th of each year as Pregnancy and Infant Loss 
     Remembrance Day;
       Whereas the observance of Pregnancy and Infant Loss 
     Remembrance Day may provide validation to those who have 
     suffered a loss through miscarriage, stillbirth, or other 
     complications;
       Whereas recognizing Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance 
     Day would enable the people of the United States to consider 
     how, as individuals and communities, they can meet the needs 
     of bereaved mothers, fathers, and family members, and work to 
     prevent the causes of these deaths; and
       Whereas October 15th of each year is an appropriate day to 
     observe National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That the Congress--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Pregnancy and 
     Infant Loss Remembrance Day; and
       (2) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     calling upon the people of the United States to observe such 
     day with appropriate programs and activities.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it is an enormous tragedy to lose the life of a child, 
and it is a sad statistic that each year approximately 1 million 
pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage, stillbirth, or the 
death of a newborn baby.
  As this resolution states, even the shortest of lives are of great 
value, and the grief of the parents who lose their children cannot be 
underestimated. The Governors of all 50 States have joined together in 
designating October 15, 2006, as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance 
Day; and I hope all Members will join me in supporting the goals and 
ideal of this day as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, when any baby or child dies, there is deep grief for the 
hopes, dreams, and wishes that will never be. Left behind are a sense 
of loss and a need for understanding.
  Every year, many lives are touched by miscarriage or the death of an 
infant or child. According to a 1996 study by the Center for Disease 
Control, 16 percent of the more than 6 million pregnancies that year 
ended in either a miscarriage or a stillbirth, and 26,784 births ended 
in infant death.
  Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day, which will be held on October 15, will 
assist in bringing the process of healing to families and will help to 
heal families who are coping with and recovering from a miscarriage, 
stillbirth, or the loss of an infant.
  Families will always struggle to cope with the devastating crisis of 
a miscarriage or loss of an infant child. Parents often cry, feel ill 
or depressed, or have other emotional responses for months or years 
after a death. The pain is a normal part of grieving. Parents often 
want to talk about their pain and are pleased when others take the time 
to listen. People who come into contact with a grieving family have a 
role in helping to resolve the family's grief. The role of each person 
will be determined by his or her relationship with the family and the 
family's stage of grief. As a community, we should remember that no one 
can take the pain away from a grieving family. We can, however, provide 
comfort, sympathy, and understanding.
  There will always be the need for compassionate support for grieving 
families, and I hope that all Americans will take the time on October 
15 to show their compassion for families that have experienced the loss 
of an infant or a child.

[[Page H7743]]

  I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
my friend and a distinguished member of this House from the State of 
Iowa (Mr. Latham).

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, each year approximately 1 million 
pregnancies in the United States end in miscarriage, stillbirth or the 
death of a newborn baby.
  Most Americans are not aware of this startling statistic, because 
many of those affected grieve in silence, sometimes never coming to 
terms with their loss.
  We can help by giving all parents, grandparents, siblings, relatives 
and friends a special day of remembrance. In addition, bringing 
attention to this issue will foster greater understanding in our 
communities of how to meet the needs of bereaved family members and 
focus attention on efforts to prevent pregnancy loss and newborn 
deaths.
  The Governors of all 50 States have signed proclamations recognizing 
October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, and the 
legislatures of at least eight States have passed resolutions 
recognizing this day each year on a permanent basis.
  Congress can bring even greater national awareness to this important 
issue by proclaiming its support for Pregnancy and Infant Loss 
Remembrance Day. Taking this action will mean something special to 
millions of Americans that have been affected, especially the mothers.
  I commend the resolution's 54 bipartisan cosponsors and the many 
citizens throughout the country and in my home State of Iowa whose 
efforts have made consideration of this resolution possible
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of this 
resolution which will offer the support to individuals and families who 
have lost a child through miscarriage, stillbirth or other 
complications.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  I too want to thank Representative Latham for bringing this 
resolution to the floor and stressing the importance to make people 
understand that a million babies lost a year, in addition to probably 
another million or so that are aborted deliberately, is a lot of lost 
lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I think the importance of this resolution is to let 
people know that when couples have a miscarriage, it is a child. It 
might be for some people, well, it is just a miscarriage. They were 
only 6 weeks or they were only 9 weeks, and they did not even know 
whether it was a boy or girl.
  But in the minds of that couple in many instances it is their very 
first pregnancy, and they are already thinking about that little boy or 
the little girl and what the name is going to be and the clothes that 
they are going to pick out and the joys they are going to have sending 
that child to school and raising it and seeing it play sports and 
become an adult some day and contribute to our great society.
  We tend to forget that. And this was brought home to me pretty 
vividly recently when my daughter-in-law, pregnant with their first 
child, found out at 10 weeks that the baby did not have a heartbeat. 
And so that baby was lost. And she went on, of course, and miscarried. 
And that loss will be with them forever. And so I think it is just so 
important for us all to realize that when somebody, when you hear about 
somebody having a miscarriage, do not think, well, it was just a 
miscarriage, it is not like losing a child or an older child, which of 
course I do not know that anything compares to that.
  But this is a significant loss. And that is why this resolution today 
is so important. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank 
Congressman Latham for bringing it forward and Congressman Davis as 
well.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Bilbray).
  Mr. BILBRAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Mr. Latham and both 
the majority and the minority for presenting this resolution today.
  I do not talk about a situation that occurred over 22 years ago in my 
family. Actually it was 22 years, 2 months ago that my wife and I lost 
our child at 3 months to crib death.
  I am sure you have got to believe that 22 years should be able to 
cover up the pain and the hurt and the scar. But it does not. And 
though we have been blessed with five healthy children, we will always 
have that missing spot that that little 3-month-old baby filled.
  But I want to thank you for today, and I stand up here today and 
speak of this matter to represent the men and women who have gone 
through what my family has gone through, and thank you for this.
  If I may leave you with one message: more important than us grieving 
for our losses of those young ones that have died and are not here 
today, the best way for us to really remember them is to appreciate and 
worship and thank God for the blessings of having healthy children and 
babies that we can take care of.
  Because they truly are the best memorial for our babies that we have 
lost, by preserving and protecting the treasures that God has given us 
in healthy children.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H. Con. Res. 222, a 
resolution commending the goals and ideals of National Pregnancy and 
Infant Loss Remembrance Day. As a practicing OB/GYN for almost 40 
years, I know there are few things more devastating than losing a child 
to medical complications such as a miscarriage or a stillbirth. 
Americans should take every opportunity to provide comfort and support 
to people who have suffered such a grievous loss.
  I also wish to pay tribute to the efforts of Mrs. Robyn Bear, who 
played an instrumental role in bringing this issue before Congress. 
Mrs. Bear's story is an inspirational example of how a dedicated 
individual can make something good come from even the most tragic 
circumstances. After suffering six first trimester miscarriages between 
1997 and 1999, Mrs. Bear began working to create a support system for 
parents who lost their children because of medical complications during 
or shortly after pregnancy. Largely due to her efforts, Governors of 
all 50 States have signed proclamations recognizing National Pregnancy 
and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Mrs. Bear has also been instrumental 
in founding several online support groups for families that have 
suffered the loss of an unborn or newborn child. Mrs. Bear's efforts 
were also the inspiration for this legislation. I am pleased to let my 
colleagues know that today Mrs. Bear is the proud mother of a 6-year 
old girl and 3-year old twins.
  In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to 
support this bill. I also extend my thanks to Mrs. Robyn Bear for all 
her efforts to help parents who have lost a child due to a miscarriage, 
stillbirth, or other medical complications.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I want to 
urge all Members to support the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 
222, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 222, as 
amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as 
amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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