[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 9, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E239-E240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH STILLBIRTH PREVENTION ACT OF 2022

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ALMA S. ADAMS

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 9, 2022

  Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, today, I proudly introduced the bipartisan 
and bicameral Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 
2022, alongside Representative Hinson, Senator Merkley, and Senator 
Cassidy.
  For too long, stillbirth has been a silent crisis. According to a 
recent study, nearly 1 in 4 stillbirths are potentially preventable. 
And the data comparing the United States to other countries informs 
that our nation can do more to prevent stillbirth.
  In our nation, an alarming 23,500 babies are stillborn every year. 
This is greater than the number of babies that die during the first 
year of life and more than ten times the number of babies that die 
annually due to sudden infant death syndrome.
  While the rate of stillbirth has declined since the 1940s due to 
improvements in maternity care, in recent years, the decline has slowed 
or halted. Stillbirths increase the risk of maternal mortality and 
morbidity and negatively impact parental mental health and family well-
being.
  Like many of the health crises in our country, disparities exist, and 
Black women are over two times more likely than White women to have a 
stillbirth. Stillbirth rates are also high for American Indian or 
Alaska Native women, who are almost 1.5 times as likely to have a 
stillbirth compared to White women. Hispanic women also experience 
higher rates.
  Despite impacting families from all backgrounds and women with 
otherwise healthy pregnancies, stillbirth is more common for women who 
are 35 years or older, of lower socioeconomic status, for women who 
have multiple pregnancies, like twins or triplets, and women who have 
already experienced the loss of a pregnancy.
  In addition, stillbirth also occurs more commonly amongst women who 
smoke while pregnant or are diagnosed with certain medical conditions 
like hypertension, diabetes, or obesity.
  Further, women from less advantaged backgrounds and who are 
marginalized, continue to experience a greater burden of stillbirth. 
And these disadvantages are further impacted by the social determinants 
of health. For example, women in maternity care deserts and rural areas 
have fewer healthcare providers. Nationwide, approximately 10 percent 
of births take place in counties with limited access to maternity care.
  According to The Lancet, in a 2016 study, the United States ranked 
number 48 out of 49 high-income countries in annual stillbirth rate 
reduction. Furthermore, in comparison with the

[[Page E240]]

same group of countries, the United States stillbirth rate per 1,000 
births was higher than 24 other countries.
  All the available data suggests that further reduction in the 
incidence of stillbirth is possible. And the Maternal and Child Health 
Stillbirth Prevention Act will help reverse this shocking trend of 
stillbirths and maternal mortality in the United States.
  My bill amends Title V, the Maternal and Child Health Services Block 
Grant of the Social Security Act, to clarify that stillbirth prevention 
activities are an allowable use of funds. This clarification will 
support stillbirth prevention activities, thereby saving the lives of 
mothers and babies.
  In 1966, at a press conference for the Second Convention of the 
Medical Committee for Human Rights, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: 
``Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most 
shocking and the most inhuman because it often results in physical 
death''.
  The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act will help 
address this health injustice and ensure that more babies experience a 
healthy birth and make it home with their families.

                          ____________________