Susan Dowd Stone: U.S. Senator Robert Menendez Reintroduces Important Postpartum Depression
I had the joy of participating in a conference call with the office of Senator Robert Menendez and the other organizational sponsors of The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act.
We received the heads up that U.S. Senator Robert Menendez was hoping to reintroduce the bill today. And that is exactly what he has done. For hundreds of thousands of American mothers and families, this renews the hope that 2009 and will indeed be the year when Congress acknowledges our nation's mothers by addressing the full spectrum of maternal experience and finally passes this legislation.
The statistics we have on the incidence of postpartum mood disorders (which range from 12 - 22% in the research) easily exceeds the qualifications of a public health crisis and these statistics, do not include the suffering of women who miscarry, endure stillbirths, or terminate pregnancies, all of whom are also susceptible to these devastating disorders.
It is not too soon to begin contacting the senators in your state to let them know you support this long overdue legislation. Thank you to Senator Robert Menendez and the bill's other leading cosponsors, Senators Richard Durbin, (D-IL) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). And while you are at it, feel free to express your support to U.S. Senator Robert Menendez for whose steadfast determination we are so very grateful.
The latest copy of the The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, follows the official press release below:
Combating postpartum depression: Sen. Robert Menendez begins push in 111th Congress
MOTHERS Act reintroduced in Senate, was close to passage last year
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today officially kicked off his efforts to secure an increased federal commitment to combating postpartum depression by reintroducing the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act in the Senate. The legislation, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), has support from Senate leadership.
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