WE HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE OF SUDDEN UNEXPECTED DEATH SYNDROME; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 166
(House of Representatives - September 24, 2020)
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[Pages H4892-H4893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WE HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE CAUSE OF SUDDEN
UNEXPECTED DEATH SYNDROME
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster) for 5 minutes.
[[Page H4893]]
Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in
support of legislation we considered earlier this week, the Scarlett's
Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act.
More importantly, today I rise in the memory of my great-niece, Lia,
who died from SIDS just 2 years ago. As her mother and grandmother, my
sister, said: Our family will never be the same.
Lia is with me in my heart and in the work we do in Congress every
day. She turned out to be a formidable advocate at just 6 months of
life.
Each year, roughly 3,500 infants tragically die from sudden
unexpected death in the United States, impacting families across this
country in unimaginable ways.
While the incidence of SIDS has declined by more than 50 percent
since the 1990s, we still have so much work to do to better understand
the cause of sudden unexpected death syndrome and advance research that
can develop prevention strategies and further reduce infant mortality
in America.
The bipartisan legislation that the House passed this week, the
Scarlett's Sunshine on Unexpected Death Act, is a comprehensive
approach to improving national guidelines and data consistency for
sudden infant death and sudden unexpected death for children.
It also offers support for the families grieving their loss and
supports evidence-based approaches for outreach to decrease risk
factors.
I am a proud sponsor of this bill for my great-niece Lia, and I am
pleased to see the House advance this important legislation this week.
Honoring Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and
commemorate the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the ``Notorious RBG.''
As Americans across the country mourn this tremendous loss, we look
back on an amazing life and an extraordinary career that so clearly
shaped the world we live in today.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a trailblazer for gender equality, a
brilliant jurist who wrote some of our country's most important legal
opinions, and a fierce defender of women's rights. Her presence, her
grace, indeed, her courage on the Court will be missed by all who
cherished her advocacy.
As only the second woman to serve on the highest court in the land,
Justice Ginsburg inspired a generation of women--my generation--to join
her efforts in creating a more perfect union and combating injustice
that lurked in every corner of our country.
From authoring the Court's opinion in landmark cases that struck down
laws discriminating against women to issuing blistering dissent in
cases like Ledbetter v. Goodyear, where she believed the Court was
failing to address pay discrimination in the workplace, Justice
Ginsburg's voice on the Supreme Court represented the life experiences
of so many American women.
Justice Ginsburg led a full and meaningful life, and her chapter in
American history will be earmarked for generations to come. It is now
up to all of us to complete the work unfulfilled and, in her words:
``Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will
lead others to join you.''
Justice Ginsburg has passed the torch, and now it is up to us.
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