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SIDS of Illinois is pleased to announce that the Stillbirth and SUID Prevention, Education and Awareness Act of 2009 was filed July 14 by Senator Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ. A companion bill was filed in the House by Frank Pallone, Jr., D-NJ-6. This bill would improve the collection of critical data to determine the causes of stillbirth, SIDS and SUID, increase education and awareness about how to prevent these tragedies in the future and expand support services for families who have experienced a stillbirth, SIDS or SUID loss.
Board President, Elizabeth Colloton, RN, PHN and Executive Director, Nancy Maruyama RN went to Washington DC this spring to meet with legistlative leaders to encourage the swift passage of this bill.
- Every year there are more than 25,000 stillbirths in the United States. For more than half these deaths there is no known cause, leaving parents with more questions than answers as to why the baby died. The bill would expand activities to identify the causes of stillbirth, identify ways to prevent it in the future and increase education and awareness about the issue among healthcare providers and parents.
- In addition, there are more than 4,600 sudden unexpected infant deaths each year (including SIDS) and 200 sudden unexpected deaths of children between the ages of one and four. This bill encourages states to complete scene investigations to better understand why these children died, establishes a national database to track these deaths and identify risk factors to prevent them in the future, supports more comprehensive reviews and creates a national public awareness campaign to educate parents and caregivers.
We hope you will join us in supporting this legislation.
Please help by contacting your representative in the House and two Senators within the next week, urging them to co-sponsor this important bill.
The more co-sponsors the bill gets, the more likely it is to pass quickly through the House and Senate.
- Visit www.house.gov to get contact information for the Congressman in your District. You will need your 9-digit zip code. If you do not know your 4 digit extension, you can get it at http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp. You will then be able link directly to your Representative�s website.
- Visit www.senate.gov to get contact information for your states two Senators. Simply select your state from the drop down menu to connect to your Senators� websites.
- Whether you are writing a letter or speaking with your representatives directly, be sure to include your personal story.
- Members of Congress rely on input from their constituents to help them better understand what issues are important to those they serve. Help give our babies a voice!
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