Newly introduced legislation will help prevent stillbirth and infant deaths

For Immediate Release / Contact: Laura Reno, VP of Public Affairs, laura@firstcandle.org, 800-221-7437

First Candle today announced the launch of a letter-writing campaign in support of newly introduced legislation that will help save babies’lives. Every year in the United States more than 25,000 families are devastated by stillbirth and more than 4,600 otherwise healthy babies die suddenly and unexpectedly. The Stillbirth and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) Prevention, Education and Awareness Act of 2009 was filed on July 14 by Senator Frank J. Lautenberg (D-NJ). A companion bill was filed in the House by Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr.

First Candle, one of the nation’s leading nonprofits dedicated to safe pregnancies and the survival of all babies during the first years of life, asks that all interested individuals contact their representative in the House and two Senators, urging them to join Lautenberg and Pallone in co-sponsoring this important bill. More information and step-by-step instructions can be found at www.firstcandle.org.

The bill would improve the collection of critical data to determine the causes of these tragic deaths, increase education and awareness about how to prevent these tragedies in the future and expand support services for families who have experienced a stillbirth or SUID loss.

“The loss of a child is devastating, and no parent should have to live without knowing why their child has died. We need to learn more about stillbirths and sudden infant deaths so we can not only give parents peace of mind after a tragedy, but hopefully prevent some of these deaths in the future,” Senator Lautenberg said. “Our bill would improve data collection and education efforts so we can better understand the cause of these deaths and help parents get the information and answers they need to prevent them.” Specifically, the bill would:

• Expand current data collection activities to additional states to identify the causes of stillbirth and ways to prevent it in the future.
• Create a national public awareness and education campaign to educate parents and caregivers about known risk factors for sudden unexpected death in infancy and childhood.
• Expand support services, such as grief counseling, for families who have experienced stillbirth or SUID.
• Establish a national database to track SUID deaths and identify risk factors to prevent them in the future.
• Expand successful child death review programs to track and analyze the circumstances surrounding infant and child deaths in communities nationwide.

“The bill introduced by Lautenberg and Pallone is a dream come true for parents,” said Dr. Marian Sokol, President of First Candle, one of the nation’s leading nonprofits dedicated to safe pregnancies and the survival of babies through the first years of life. “The death of a child to any cause is heartbreaking, but the sudden, unexpected nature of these deaths leave parents with many more questions than answers as to why their baby died. First Candle will be working at the grassroots level torecruit support for this important legislation that will no doubt bring us one step closer to a future where all babies survive and thrive.”

In addition to First Candle, the bill has been endorsed by the CJ Foundation for SIDS and Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood Program (based in New Jersey), Cribs for Kids, Northwest Infant Survival Alliance (NISA), Home Safety Council, Safe Kids USA, all nonprofits working to stop infant mortality, as well as the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IAC&ME) and the National Sheriffs’ Association.

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First Candle is a leading, national nonprofit organizations dedicated to safe pregnancies and the survival of all babies through the first years of life. With programs of research, education and advocacy, they are working to ensure that every baby is given the best possible chance to reach not only his or her first birthday, but many happy birthdays beyond. First Candle also provides compassionate grief support to all those affected by the death of a baby. For more information, to access grief support or to make a donation, please visit www.firstcandle.org or call 1-800-221-7437.