[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 2157]]

                          EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS

       IN RECOGNITION OF THE MARCH OF DIMES PREMATURITY CAMPAIGN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. J. DENNIS HASTERT

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 29, 2003

  Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the March of 
Dimes on the launch of a national campaign to address the rising rate 
of premature births.
  Today in America, more than 1,300 babies will be born too soon. 
Premature birthrates have risen to the highest level ever reported in 
the United States. In fact, a staggering one in eight babies are born 
preterm. And in my home State of Illinois, some 20,000 babies were born 
premature last year alone.
  On January 30th, the March of Dimes will launch a 5-year, national 
research, education and awareness campaign that seeks to prevent 
premature birth. This campaign holds the promise of considerably 
reducing the rate of prematurity throughout our nation. And the reasons 
for doing so are clear--babies born prematurely bear an elevated risk 
of serious long-term health problems. Moreover, premature birth 
represents the leading cause of infant death in the first month of 
life.
  I commend the March of Dimes for their efforts on behalf of the 
health and wellbeing of our nation's unborn children and their 
families. I am hopeful that this campaign will successfully and 
dramatically reduce the rate of preterm births in America.

                          ____________________