Congressman Cohen Introduces NEWBORN Act
Says bill would address high U.S. infant mortality rate
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today introduced legislation to address America's unacceptably high infant mortality rate with concrete measures in the Nationally Enhancing the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research Now (NEWBORN) Act.
The legislation would create infant-mortality focused pilot programs in the highest-risk areas of the country and would address one or more of the top five reasons for infant mortality: birth defects, preterm birth and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, maternal pregnancy complications and/or injuries to the infant.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
"Memphis and Shelby County have some of the highest infant mortality rates in the country. Infant mortality is a reflection of our nation's overall health and its commitment to children. We need to do more to assure women have the resources and information they need to deliver healthy babies and raise them to become healthy and productive adults."
The NEWBORN Act pilot programs would educate at-risk and potential mothers about pregnancy and prenatal care. Statistics would be gathered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help gain a better understanding of the causes of infant mortality and best practices for preventing it.
In 2016, Shelby County had 123 children die in their first year, a rate of 9.3 per 1,000, which was a 13 percent increase over the previous year. More than 23,000 children died before their first birthdays in the U.S. in 2015. That's higher than the infant mortality rate of 19 other wealthy countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The measure has been cosponsored by Representatives Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Tony Cardenas of California, Betty McCollum of Minnesota, Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, Donald Payne of New Jersey, Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, Tim Ryan of Ohio, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, Adriano Espaillat of New York and Raul Grijalva of Arizona.