Booker, Daines, Merkley, Wicker Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Reduce U.S. Stillbirth Rate

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education (SHINE) for Autumn Act, legislation that would reduce the alarmingly high U.S. stillbirth rate. Named after Autumn Joy, a New Jersey baby who was stillborn in 2011, the bill provides critical resources to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and state health departments. It would improve data collection, research, education, and public awareness around stillbirth. U.S. Representatives Young Kim (R-CA-40), Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), John Joyce (R-PA-13), and Zach Nunn (R-IA-03) introduced companion legislation in the House.

According to the CDC, stillbirth affects 1 in 175 pregnancies, with over 20,000 babies born still each year. Studies indicate that at least 25 percent of U.S. stillbirths are preventable, which could save over 5,000 babies each year.

"Nobody should have to experience the immense sorrow of stillbirth," said Senator Booker. "We must address the maternal and infant health crisis that continues to result in thousands of families grappling with the unthinkable every year in the United States. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation is aimed at increasing data collection, research, education, and public awareness around stillbirths so we can save lives and put an end to this crisis."

"Stillbirth is a tragedy faced by thousands of moms and families every year, both in Montana and throughout the nation. I'm glad to join my colleagues on this bipartisan bill to help expand research, education, and data collection surrounding stillbirths, so we can save lives and provide hope for stillbirth families," said Senator Daines.

"One stillbirth in the United States is one too many," said Senator Merkley. "The stillbirth crisis devastates families and disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous women. The passage of my Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act was a critical first step to protecting mothers and children nationwide. We need to keep the momentum going and pass our bipartisan SHINE for Autumn Act to tackle the full scale of this public health crisis for families across the nation."

"Every stillbirth is heartbreaking, and too many Mississippi families have known that pain. It is unacceptable that stillbirth rates have remained stagnant for three decades," said Senator Wicker. "This legislation would accelerate research into this understudied tragedy, helping save precious lives."

"As a mom and a grandma, I have experienced both the joys of pregnancy and pain of loss firsthand. Helping moms, moms-to-be, and their babies is personal to me," said Representative Young Kim. "Far too many families in our nation experience the heartbreak of stillbirth, yet this enduring crisis remains overlooked and underfunded. The SHINE for Autumn Act will give us the tools to better understand, prevent, and respond to stillbirths, while ensuring moms, babies, and families receive the support they deserve. I'm proud to lead this bipartisan effort to bring hope and solutions to families across the country."

"Too many families are suffering from the heartbreak of losing a baby to stillbirth, and it's past time for Congress to step up and provide tools to save mothers and babies," said Representative Castor. "The maternal and infant health crisis is devastating to all, and there is still so much we don't know due to barriers in data collection. Estimates are that nearly one in four stillbirths could be prevented - that means lives saved and families spared enormous pain. That's why I am proud to work with bipartisan colleagues, Reps. Kim, Kelly and Joyce and Sens. Booker and Daines in reintroducing the SHINE for Autumn Act. Together, we can reduce stillbirths, close gaps in care and improve outcomes for moms and babies across the nation."

"Stillbirth is a deeply painful experience for mothers and families," said Representative Kelly, co-chair of the bipartisan Maternity Care Caucus. "I'm incredibly thankful for Debbie's brave advocacy as she turns her pain into action so no other family will experience heartbreaking stillbirth. I'm committed to delivering the healthy pregnancy and life every mother and baby deserves."

"Despite spending the most money on healthcare per capita in the world, the United States has failed to make significant improvements when it comes to understanding and preventing stillbirths," said Representative Joyce. "Congress must step up to prevent this avoidable loss of life. This legislation marks a long-overdue step forward in addressing stillbirths, advancing maternal and infant health, and ensuring the United States catches up to where it should be in prioritizing this critical issue. I am proud to again co-lead this bipartisan bill that will help save lives across the country."

"Stillbirth is a quiet crisis that leaves too many families grieving without answers. As a dad of six, I can't imagine the pain of losing a child and I believe parents deserve better," said Representative Nunn. "This bill brings states and doctors together to close the gaps in research, improve data, and give families clearer paths to prevention. It's a commonsense, bipartisan step toward saving lives and strengthening care."

"It is a tremendous honor to see the bipartisan Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education for Autumn Act introduced in the 119th Congress, thanks to Senate leaders Booker, Daines, Merkley, and Wicker. Their steadfast support-and that of our 14 original co-sponsors-is paving the way for long-overdue action to address our nation's stillbirth crisis. Fourteen years later, I'm still here doing this work because I promised Autumn I would do all I could to spare other families the unimaginable grief of stillbirth. And it's that promise that keeps me here today!," said Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya, Autumn's mom.

The SHINE for Autumn Act would create the first comprehensive federal-state partnership to reduce stillbirth by:

• Establishing a state grant program to improve and standardize stillbirth data collection and reporting.
• Directing HHS to develop educational guidelines for states on stillbirth data collection and public education.
• Requiring HHS to publish a national report on stillbirth risk factors and educational guidelines within five years of enactment.

The SHINE for Autumn Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Cornyn (R-TX), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Roger Marshall (R-KS).

The list of endorsing organizations can be found here.

Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), along with U.S. Representatives Ashley Hinson (R-IA-01) and Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (D-NC-12) also introduced a bipartisan, bicameral resolution recognizing September 19, 2025,?as National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.