[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 195 (Thursday, November 30, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H9561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING PREMATURITY AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission 
to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize Prematurity Awareness Month.
  Today, we think of infant mortality as a problem of the past, but 
according to the World Health Organization, complications of pre-term 
birth now outrank all other causes as the world's number one killer of 
children under the age of 5.
  Prematurity is a serious global problem affecting families from every 
nation and every facet of society, even here in the most developed 
nation in the world.
  In the 2017 March of Dimes' Premature Birth Report Card, the United 
States was awarded a C grade due to the persistence of high pre-term 
birth rates.
  However, up to 75 percent of all deaths due to pre-term birth can be 
prevented through relatively low-cost interventions. We have the 
resources to address this problem, but we must also have the will.
  Let's recognize November as Prematurity Awareness Month by supporting 
efforts at home and abroad to reduce the impact of pre-term births, 
honor those working on this issue around the globe, and promote 
policies that will prevent pre-term births and improve outcomes for 
affected infants. My resolution, H.R. 625, I believe, would do just 
that.

                          ____________________