IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 260 
Supporting efforts to reduce infant mortality in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 18, 2009 
Mr. 
COHEN
(for 
himself, 
Mr. 
MCGOVERN, 
Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, 
Mr. 
BUTTERFIELD, Mr. MASSA, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, 
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. 
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. SARBANES, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, 
Ms. LEE of California, Ms. BORDALLO, Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland, and 
Mr. WAMP) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting efforts to reduce infant mortality in the United 
States. 
Whereas the infant mortality rate of a nation is a prime indi-
cator of that nation’s overall health; 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
have found that the United States ranked 29th in the 
world in infant mortality in 2004, falling from 12th in 
1960; 
Whereas there are more than 28,000 deaths to children 
under 1 year of age each year in the United States; 
Whereas preterm birth has a considerable impact on the 
United States infant mortality rate, in 2005, 68.6 per-
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•HRES 260 IH 
cent of all infant deaths occurred to preterm infants, up 
from 65.6 percent in 2000; 
Whereas the United States infant mortality rate for non-His-
panic Black women was 2.4 times the rate for non-His-
panic White women in 2005; 
Whereas in 2005, the United States infant mortality rates 
were above average for non-Hispanic Black women at 
13.63 deaths per 1,000 live births, for Puerto Rican 
women at 8.30 deaths per 1,000 live births, and for 
American Indian or Alaska Native women at 8.06 deaths 
per 1,000 live births; 
Whereas in Memphis, Tennessee, the infant mortality rate is 
three times higher than that of the United States (higher 
than any other city in the country), and the 2005 infant 
mortality rate in the 38108 zip code of Memphis was 
deadlier for babies than that of the countries of Vietnam, 
Iran, and El Salvador with 31 deaths per 1,000 live 
births, 5 times that of the 2005 national average of 6.86 
deaths per 1,000 live births; 
Whereas adequate prenatal care has a studied, positive effect 
on the health of the baby; 
Whereas prenatal care is one of the most important interven-
tions for ensuring the health of pregnant women and 
their infants; 
Whereas 29 percent of mothers 15 to 19 years of age re-
ceived no early prenatal care in 2004 according to the 
Department of Health and Human Services; 
Whereas non-Hispanic Black mothers were 2.6 times more 
likely than non-Hispanic White mothers to begin prenatal 
care in the 3rd trimester, or not receive prenatal care at 
all; 
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•HRES 260 IH 
Whereas babies born to mothers who received no prenatal 
care are three times more likely to be born at low birth 
weight, and five times more likely to die, than those 
whose mothers received prenatal care, as stated by the 
Department of Health and Human Services; 
Whereas the United States 2004 ranking of 29th in the world 
for infant mortality rates is due in part to racial dispari-
ties in prenatal treatment; and 
Whereas the racial disparities in infant mortality may relate 
to socioeconomic status, access to medical care, and the 
education level of the mother: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) acknowledges that the United States has a 
disturbingly high infant mortality rate in relation to 
the global community; 
(2) supports efforts to lower the rate of infant 
mortality in the United States; and 
(3) supports efforts to correct the racial dis-
parities in prenatal care to lower the infant mor-
tality rate in the United States. 
Æ 
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