[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 153 (Thursday, September 18, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S6705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, September 19 is National Stillbirth 
Prevention and Awareness Day. This day is set aside to recognize the 
tens of thousands of families in the United States who have endured a 
stillbirth.
  More than 21,000 pregnancies in the United States end in stillbirth 
each year. Sadly, this exceeds the top five leading causes of death 
among children under 15 years of age. It is critical that we raise 
awareness and take action to improve this grave statistic.
  I am proud to have been a cosponsor of the Maternal and Child Health 
Stillbirth Prevention Act that was signed into law last year. The law 
clarifies that resources like Count the Kicks can be deployed for 
stillbirth prevention. Count the Kicks is a simple and free tool that 
helps pregnant moms count their babies' movements during the third 
trimester. The results speak for themselves. In the first 10 years of 
the Count the Kicks campaign in Iowa, the State's stillbirth rate went 
down 32 percent while rates in the rest of the country remained static.
  My work to improve maternal and child health doesn't stop there. I 
have introduced the bipartisan Healthy Moms and Babies Act. This bill 
is a comprehensive approach to addressing our maternal mortality 
crisis. Through community-based efforts, improved support for rural 
labor and delivery units, and increasing the use of technology like 
telehealth, we can prevent maternal and child mortality regardless of 
the ZIP Code.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Mullin). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.