Senator Charles Schumer was in Rochester—a city with a child mortality rate higher than most of the nation—to call on the Senate to pass the Sudden Infant Death Enhancement and Awareness Act.
Schumer was at the University of Rochester Monday to talk about the legislation that would standardize the reporting protocols for infants who die of unexplained causes. That data could then be researched to help prevent future deaths.
Schumer explains currently information from sudden unexplained infant death is not gathered and standardized anywhere in the country.
For the parents that never learn what happened to their children, Schumer said, “It adds insult to an unfathomable injury.”
The U.S. has higher rates of infant mortality than many industrialized nations. The CDC reports per thousand babies born in the country 6 point 1 babies die—rates in Rochester are nearly double that.
Schumer calls on the lame-duck Senate to pass the legislation before their December 12th recess.