This Saturday, September 19, would become National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day under a resolution being co-sponsored by two of Iowa’s representatives in Washington.
Senator Chuck Grassley said the day is needed to raise awareness of treatable conditions that lead to stillbirths.
“Unfortunately, one out of every 183 births still tragically result in a stillbirth,” Grassley said. “That adds up to about 20,000 stillbirths per year.”
Grassley was a co-sponsor of what’s known as the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act, which President Biden signed into law in 2024. Grassley said it was designed to help save lives of mothers and babies across America.
Researchers say at least 25% of stillbirths are preventable, and Grassley said the resolution stresses the importance of advancing evidence-based stillbirth prevention efforts across the U.S.
“It’s of necessity to wake the nation up to the stillbirth problem and an awareness day is meant to do that,” Grassley said. “It’s something that’s just absolutely necessary if we’re going to get the number of stillbirths down.”
The resolution is being supported by 46 organizations, including the Iowa-based “Count the Kicks” group, the March of Dimes, and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.