MARCH OF DIMES URGES CONGRESS TO ADVANCE POLICIES TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF MOMS AND BABIES

October 20, 2021

In testimony before a key House Subcommittee today, March of Dimes President and CEO Stacey D. Stewart sounded the alarm on the nation’s dire maternal and infant health crisis, which the pandemic has worsened. As October marks Pregnancy and Infant Loss Prevention Month, Stewart said one in four individuals and families’ are affected by the death of their children during pregnancy, childbirth, and in infancy, urging lawmakers to act urgently to improve outcomes for all moms and babies.

Testifying before the House Energy and Commerce’s Health Subcommittee, Stewart said two babies die every hour and two women die of pregnancy complications every day.

“We hope new efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration and Congress will spur further action to address the maternal and infant health crisis,” she told lawmakers. “However, we must continue to focus our attention on the other challenges facing us and utilize the tools we have to improve the health of children and families.”

Stewart advocated in favor of the following key bills considered by the Subcommittee:

  • H.R. 5487, Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education for Autumn Act of 2021" or SHINE for Autumn Act, which would invest in research and data collection to better understand stillbirth in the U.S.
  • H.R. 5551, the "Improving the Health of Children Act," which would reauthorize the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and help identify causes of birth defects and find ways to prevent them. March of Dimes partnered with the Center to support research and prevention, promote birth defects prevalence data from states on our PeriStats web site, and led efforts to help reduce health related stigma through our "Beyond Labels" initiative.
  • H.R. 5552, the "Lead Poisoning Prevention Act," which would provide critical resources for educational outreach, screenings, and referrals; the CDC's Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention; and help prevent lead exposure before children are harmed.
  • H.R. 5561, the "Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Reauthorization Act,” which would reauthorize the early detection and intervention program for deaf and hard-of-hearing newborns and infants, and young children.

To read the full text of Stewart’s testimony, click here.