North Charlotte Today

On August 21, 2024, Senator Thom Tillis commended the enactment of the bipartisan Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act. This legislation aims to reduce infant mortality by enabling evidence-based stillbirth efforts to qualify for federal funding.

“Maternal health is a serious issue in North Carolina and across the country with an alarming rise in pregnancy-related deaths,” said Senator Tillis. “We must work to improve maternal health outcomes and support mothers throughout pregnancy and beyond. I am proud to see this legislation that will increase access to maternal health care, address disparities, and improve outcomes for mothers signed into law.”

Recent data indicates that nearly 25% of stillbirths are potentially preventable. Annually, approximately 21,000 babies are stillborn in the United States, a number exceeding those who die during their first year of life and more than ten times those who die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Comparatively, the U.S. has made minimal progress in reducing stillbirth rates over the past two decades, with only a 0.4 percent decline. According to a World Health Organization report on stillbirth rate improvements, the U.S. ranked 183 out of 195 countries.

The Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2023 amends Title V of the Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant under the Social Security Act. This amendment clarifies that stillbirth prevention activities and research are permissible uses of these funds, supporting initiatives aimed at saving mothers' and babies' lives.

The act has garnered endorsements from numerous organizations including Healthy Birth Day, 1st Breath, Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health (formerly 2020 Mom), 2 Degrees Foundation, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP), March of Dimes, Measure the Placenta, Mom Congress, PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, Reproductive and Placental Research Unit at Yale University School of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences; Return to Zero: H.O.P.E., Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Every Mother Counts, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), Start Healing Together, M.E.N.D. (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death), Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI), American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), What to Expect Project, Postpartum Support International, Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE) Foundation; National Education Association (NEA), Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH), Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance; SUDC Foundation; and RH Impact.

The full text of the legislation is available HERE.