Prematurity Awareness Month

Floor Speech

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Mrs. McCLELLAN. Madam Speaker, November is Prematurity Awareness Month and November 17 is Prematurity Awareness Day. It is an opportunity for us to come together and commit to address the United States' horrific preterm birth rate.

This is an issue that is personal to me. My daughter, Samantha, was born by emergency C-section 9 weeks early when my placenta ruptured because I had placenta previa. I was one of the lucky ones. After 6 weeks in the NICU, she was able to come home. When she stood with me when I took the oath of office, no one would ever know that she started less than 5 pounds. Not everyone is as lucky.

The March of Dimes just issued its annual report card for preterm birth rates; and the United States earned a D-plus once again, remaining the worst grade in the report's history. Chronic conditions, inadequate prenatal care, and racial disparities fueled these historic preterm birth rates.

The preterm birth rate remains at 10.4 percent with significant disparities among racial and ethnic groups. We have more work to do. Please stay tuned because next week I will be proposing a bipartisan measure to help bring this birth rate down.

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