Preventing Stillbirth and SUID Act of 2008 (S. 3142)

June 17, 2008 Senator Barack Obama introduced the Preventing Stillbirth and SUID Act of 2008 (S. 3142). Much like House Bill 5979, the bill calls for a national repository for tracking stillbirth related deaths, as well as standardizing the collection of information related to a stillbirth. The bill currently has 5 cosponsors.

This is an election year and obviously one of the candidates is the bill originator. Regardless of where you stand with the election, we ask that you would consider the value of this legislation for the thousands of children who are born still in the U.S. each year.

Please write to your Senator asking him/her to sponsor this important piece of legislation.

The Bill Summary page outlines the main points of the bill. The Bill Status page displays links to various details associated with the bill.

Again taking action is easy! Your letter could make a significant impact on the number of cosponsors this bill receives.

1. Identify your Senator's contact information. Go to the Senator Contact Information page. You may filter the list by State. Then follow the link to your Senator's specific site.
2. Write your letter. We have included a sample letter below that was distributed by First Candle
3. Submit your letter via either your Senator's website or mail
4. Would love to hear from you in the comments section that your letter was sent!!
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Dear Senator________________:

I am writing to ask you to cosponsor legislation that would help the CDC and researchers better determine the risk factors associated with stillbirth and convey those risk factors to expectant parents.

Senate Bill 3142, Preventing Stillbirth and SUID Act of 2008, was introduced by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois in an effort to address the lack of standardized data collection nationally with regard to stillbirth.

Each year more than 25,000 babies in the United States are stillborn. More than 50 percent of these deaths occur in the last trimester of pregnancy and 15 percent occur during labor and delivery. Due to a lack of autopsy/investigation and inconsistencies in diagnosing these, more than 50 percent of all stillbirths remain unexplained.

With standardized investigation and reporting of these deaths, researchers would be better able to determine the risk factors. S.3142 would both standardize the definition of stillbirth and the method in which data is collected, in order to create a national repository of stillbirth data to assist researchers in conducting comprehensive studies in to the causes of, and possible preventive strategies for, stillbirth. The bill also authorizes a public awareness campaign promoting good prenatal practices, including monitoring movements during the last trimester of pregnancy, to reduce the risk of stillbirth.

This legislation is important to me because (insert your personal story here.)

Thank you so much for your consideration of my request.
(insert name and contact information here)