[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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