Ohio Legislature Designates Sept. 19 as Ohio Stillbirth Prevention Day

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — It is not often a bill will pass unanimously in both the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives, but this bill defied the odds to spread awareness and hope to families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss.

On May 28, Governor Mike DeWine signed HB 4 into law, a bill designating Sept. 19 as Ohio Stillbirth Prevention Day. The bill’s two primary sponsors, State Representatives Adam Holmes and Cecil Thomas advanced the bi-partisan bill as one of the first bills of the new congress. Miles’ Mission, an organization providing resources and support to families experiencing the loss of children, provided testimony to legislators about the importance behind the bill.

“I’ve recognized how these days really do have impact across the state to raise awareness and advocacy, to spend a specific day to focus and discuss it. During this process, it was interesting to see how many people really supported it conceptually but didn’t know details, didn’t know anything about other people’s experiences. And having a specific day really collects community focus on the issue. So I think it’s a great way of communicating, designating a day,” Adam Holmes, State Representative for House District 97 said. 

September 19th was designated as National Stillbirth Prevention Day in 2023. Recognizing the day statewide can provide opportunities to local Ohio organizations fighting to end child loss through access to federal grant money. Organizations can pursue research or provide resources with funding from the Title V Block Grant, a grant supporting maternal and child health.

“That’s an important step, because there’s not enough research, there aren’t enough dollars given to and attributed to figuring out why this is happening at such an alarming rate. And with Ohio’s rate of loss being number five in the country, it was very important for us to become a part of this and to recognize the need for this in our state, so that we can minimize some of those numbers,” Dr. Michael Bullock, President of Miles’ Mission said. 

To learn more about the story behind Miles’ Mission and discover resources related to child and infant loss, you can visit their website at milesmission.com.