[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 78 (Friday, May 11, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6022-S6023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Brown, 
        Mr. Dodd, and Mr. Lautenberg):
  S. 1375. A bill to ensure that new mothers and their families are 
educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms, and 
provided with essential services, and to increase research at the 
National Institutes of Health on postpartum depression; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today with my friends Senators 
Durbin and Snowe to reintroduce the Mom's Opportunity to Access Help, 
Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression, MOTHERS, 
Act.
  Senator Durbin has been and continues to be a leader on this issue 
and I am grateful for the opportunity to work with him on this 
important legislation. I would also like to recognize Representative 
Rush, who has been a champion for women battling

[[Page S6023]]

postpartum depression, PPD, in the House for many years. I am proud to 
say that his bill, The Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research 
and Care Act, shares the same goals as the MOTHERS Act.
  Mr. President, in the United States, 10 to 20 percent of women suffer 
from a disabling and often undiagnosed condition known as postpartum 
depression. Unfortunately, many women are unaware of this condition and 
often do not receive the treatment they need. That is why I am 
introducing the MOTHERS Act, so that women no longer have to suffer in 
silence and feel alone when faced with this difficult condition.
  Last year, the great State of New Jersey passed a first of its kind 
law requiring doctors and nurses to educate expectant mothers and their 
families about postpartum depression. This bill was introduced in the 
State legislature by State Senate President Richard Codey. The 
attention of Senator Codey and his wife, Mary Jo Codey, who personally 
battled postpartum depression, have brought to the issue is remarkable. 
Brooke Shields, a graduate of Princeton University, has also shared her 
struggle with postpartum depression publicly and should be commended 
for her efforts to bring awareness to this condition. Postpartum 
depression affects women all across the country, not just in New 
Jersey, and that is why I believe the MOTHERS Act is so important.
  In America, 80 percent of women experience some level of depression 
after childbirth. This is what people often refer to as the ``baby 
blues.'' However, each year, there are between 400,000 and 800,000 
women across America who suffer from postpartum depression, a much more 
serious condition. These mothers often experience signs of depression 
and may lose interest in friends and family, feel overwhelming sadness 
or even have thoughts of harming their baby or harming themselves. 
People often assume that these feelings are simply the ``baby blues'', 
but the reality is much worse. Postpartum depression is a serious and 
disabling condition and new mothers deserve to be given information and 
resources on this condition so, if needed, they can get the appropriate 
help.
  The good news is that treatment is available. Many women have 
successfully recovered from postpartum depression with the help of 
therapy, medication, and support groups. However, mothers and their 
families must be educated so that they understand what might occur 
after the birth of their child and when to get help. This legislation 
will require doctors and nurses to educate every new mother and their 
families about postpartum depression before they leave the hospital and 
offer the opportunity for new mothers to be screened for postpartum 
depression symptoms during the first year of postnatal check up visits. 
It also provides social services to new mothers and their families who 
are suffering and struggling with postpartum depression. By increasing 
education and early treatment of postpartum depression, mothers, 
husbands, and families, will be able to recognize the symptoms of this 
condition and help new mothers get the treatment they need and deserve.
  The MOTHERS Act has another important component. While we continue to 
educate and help the mothers of today, we must also be prepared to help 
future moms. By increasing funding for research on postpartum 
conditions at the National Institutes of Health, we can begin to 
unravel the mystery behind this difficult to understand illness. The 
more we know about the causes and etiology of postpartum depression, 
the more tools we have to treat and prevent this heartbreaking 
condition.
  We must attack postpartum depression on all fronts with education, 
screening, support, and research so that new moms can feel supported 
and safe rather than scared and alone. Many new mothers sacrifice 
anything and everything to provide feelings of security and safety to 
their innocent, newborn child. It is our duty to provide the same level 
of security, safety and support to new mothers in need.

                          ____________________