I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7011 

To amend title V of the Social Security Act to support stillbirth prevention 

and research, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2022 

Ms. ADAMS (for herself, Mrs. HINSON, Mrs. AXNE, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. BASS, 

Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BERA, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. 

BUTTERFIELD, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 

COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 

FITZPATRICK, Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of 

New York, Mr. MCEACHIN, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. MOULTON, 

Ms. NORTON, Mr. POCAN, Ms. ROSS, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. 

SUOZZI, Mr. SWALWELL, Mr. TONKO, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mrs. WATSON

COLEMAN, and Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend title V of the Social Security Act to support 

stillbirth prevention and research, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Maternal and Child 

5 Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2022’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) According to the Centers for Disease Con4 trol and Prevention— 

5 (A) in the United States, 1 in 169 births 

6 are affected by stillbirth each year amounting 

7 to 23,500 stillbirths annually, of which 6,900 of 

8 these are Black or African-American stillbirths; 

9 (B) the number of stillbirths each year is 

10 greater than the number of babies that die dur11 ing the first year of life; 

12 (C) annual stillbirths are more than ten 

13 times the number of annual deaths due to Sud14 den Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); 

15 (D) stillbirth occurs across all demo16 graphics and in otherwise healthy pregnancies. 

17 It is most common, however, among women 

18 who— 

19 (i) are Black or African American, at 

20 two times more likely than White women 

21 to have a stillbirth; 

22 (ii) are of lower socioeconomic status; 

23 (iii) are diagnosed with high blood 

24 pressure, diabetes, obesity, or other med25 ical conditions; 

26 (iv) are 35 years of age or older; 


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1 (v) smoke cigarettes while pregnant; 

2 (vi) have previously experienced preg3 nancy loss; or 

4 (vii) have multiple pregnancies, for ex5 ample triplets; and 

6 (E) while the rate of stillbirth has declined 

7 since the 1940s due to improvements in mater8 nity care, in recent years, the decline has 

9 slowed or halted. 

10 (2) According to a study by researcher Wall11 Wieler et al., published in Obstetrics and Gyne12 cology, ‘‘the risk of severe maternal morbidity 

13 among stillbirth deliveries was more than fourfold 

14 higher compared with live birth deliveries’’. 

15 (3) According to a study by researcher McClure 

16 et al., published in the International Journal of Gyn17 ecology and Obstetrics, ‘‘stillbirth was significantly 

18 associated with maternal mortality’’. 

19 (4) According to a review article by Murphy 

20 and Cacciatore, published in Seminars in Fetal & 

21 Neonatal Medicine, stillbirth has psychological im22 pacts on parents like grief, shame, and guilt and im23 pacts to family functioning and well-being. 


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1 (5) Stillbirth, and the disparity in those im2 pacted by stillbirth requires further research, sup3 port, and prevention programming. 

4 SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION SUPPORTING PERMISSIBLE USE OF 

5 FUNDS FOR STILLBIRTH PREVENTION AC6 TIVITIES. 

7 Section 501(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

8 701(a)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ‘‘to re10 duce the incidence of stillbirth,’’ after ‘‘among chil11 dren,’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting after ‘‘follow13 up services’’ the following: ‘‘, and for evidence-based 

14 programs and activities and outcome research to re15 duce the incidence of stillbirth (including tracking 

16 and awareness of fetal movements, improvement of 

17 birth timing for pregnancies with risk factors, initia18 tives that encourage safe sleeping positions during 

19 pregnancy, screening and surveillance for fetal 

20 growth restriction, efforts to achieve smoking ces21 sation during pregnancy, community-based programs 

22 that provide home visits or other types of support, 

23 and any other research or evidence-based program24 ming to prevent stillbirths)’’. 

Æ 


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