Booker, Rubio, Kim, Castor, Joyce, Kelly Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Reduce U.S. Stillbirth Rate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act, legislation that would reduce the alarmingly high U.S. stillbirth rate. Named after Autumn Joy, a New Jersey baby who was stillborn in 2011, the bill would provide critical resources to states, local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other related federal agencies to improve data collection and increase education and awareness of stillbirth in the United States. U.S. Representatives Young Kim (CA-40), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Dave Joyce (OH-14), and Robin Kelly (IL-02) introduced the House version of the bill.

Despite medical innovations, 21,000 babies are stillborn every year in the United States—that is 57 babies dying every day. There are also longstanding disparities in stillbirth rates among racial and ethnic groups, with Black families experiencing stillbirth at more than two times the rate of their white counterparts. Nearly 1 in 4 stillbirths are potentially preventable.

“It is unacceptable that despite being the wealthiest country in the world, the United States continues to see high stillbirth rates, resulting in thousands of families grappling with the unthinkable,” said Senator Booker. “We must do more to address this crisis by raising awareness and ensuring our health care providers have the resources they need to address preventable deaths. This bipartisan legislation is an important step to improve data collection on stillbirth and enhance research, training, and awareness to help put an end to this crisis.”

“The U.S. stillbirth rate is unacceptable and must be addressed. Losing a child is an unimaginable tragedy, and we should use all resources available to prevent this devastating loss of life. I am proud to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation that would employ resources to significantly lower the number of stillborn babies in the United States,” said Senator Rubio.

“As a mom and grandma, I experienced the hardships of pregnancy firsthand and recently grieved with one of my daughters through the pain of losing a baby. Helping moms, moms-to-be, and their babies is personal to me,” said Representative Young Kim, co-chair of the Maternity Care Caucus. “Each pregnancy faces unique challenges, and at least 1 in every 4 stillbirths is preventable. The SHINE for Autumn Act will help us gain the research, resources, and education needed to prevent stillbirths, support our health workforce, and help women have healthy pregnancies. I am proud to lead this commonsense bill that will positively impact moms and families, and I’ll keep fighting for maternal health care solutions as co-chair of the Maternity Care Caucus.”

“Together we can address the serious maternal and infant health crisis that is tearing families apart and causing significant pain and trauma,” said Representative Kathy Castor. “Long-standing disparities among racial and ethnic groups persist, with Black women more than twice as likely to experience stillbirth as White women. With nearly one out of every four stillbirths estimated to be preventable, we need real change that will lead to measurable improvements in outcomes for mothers and babies. I’m thankful to my bipartisan colleagues, Reps. Kim, Kelly, and Joyce for joining me in reintroducing the SHINE for Autumn Act – legislation I’ve fought to pass for years to reduce the stillbirths in America.”

“Ohio has one of the country’s highest stillbirth rates, outpacing the national average and failing to show meaningful signs of improvement,” said Representative Dave Joyce. “We must leverage federal resources to prevent this continued avoidable loss of life. The SHINE for Autumn Act takes a critical step in stillbirth prevention by funding enhanced research, training, and awareness of this issue and arming healthcare providers with the tools to help prevent it. I am proud to lead this effort with Congresswoman Kim and my colleagues to save lives in our communities.”

“Stillbirth is a deeply painful experience for mothers and families. We owe it to our constituents to find solutions that will mitigate the risk of stillbirth and support mothers who have suffered from such a loss,” said Representative Robin Kelly, co-chair of the Maternity Care Caucus. “I am proud join Rep. Young Kim as co-chairs of the Maternity Care Caucus to identify bipartisan solutions to a challenge that too many families face. Every mother deserves a health pregnancy and happy life with her baby. I’m committed to ending the maternal health crisis and getting mothers and babies the care they need.”

“July 8th marked 12 years since Autumn was born silently into this world and life as I knew it was changed forever. I’ve spent every day since working tirelessly to give a voice to her and the hundreds of thousands of babies that have been born still since. And here we are, on this momentous day, during Autumn’s birthday month, reintroducing the SHINE for Autumn Act into the 118th Congress. I could not be more grateful for all the bipartisan stillbirth champions who have made today possible. The time is now to bring stillbirth out of the shadows, once and for all, with the SHINE for Autumn Act,” said Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya, mother to Autumn Joy for whom the bill is named and founder of the 2 Degrees Foundation.

“Every year, about 21,000 babies are stillborn and studies show that 25 percent of deaths are preventable. What’s more, the mothers of those babies face a greater likelihood of depression and other severe morbidities or death. The SHINE for Autumn Act is the first step in ending preventable stillbirth through enhanced data collection, analysis, reporting, and research. The bill will go a long way to ensuring that we better understand stillbirth and help us save the lives of more babies,” said Stacey Y. Brayboy, Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Government Affairs of March of Dimes.

Specifically, the legislation would authorize:

• Grants to states to support data collection, assessment, and reporting on stillbirth and stillbirth risk factors.
• The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with health care providers, to develop guidelines and educational materials for state departments of health and statistics on stillbirth data collection, data sharing, and educational materials on stillbirth.
• The incorporation of Perinatal Pathology Fellowship Program at the NIH to fund research fellowships on stillbirth, including research and training on fetal autopsies and improved education, research, and data collection.
• A report on the effectiveness of the Perinatal Pathology Fellowship Program after five years of enactment.

The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Steve Daines (R-MT), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).

The list of endorsing organizations can be found here.

The full text of the bill can be found here.