1Designating November 17, 2013, as "World Prematurity Day" in
2Pennsylvania and recognizing the serious public health
3concern of prematurity in birth and the compelling need to
4reduce the incidence of preterm births in this Commonwealth.

5WHEREAS, The March of Dimes has declared November 17, 2013,
6as World Prematurity Day, a chance to raise awareness about the
7topic of prematurity on the local, national and international
8level; and

9WHEREAS, Most women give birth to a healthy, full-term baby,
10however, premature births are not uncommon and involve much
11emotional pain for the childbearing woman and her family; and

12WHEREAS, Also known as preterm birth, a premature birth is
13one that occurs at least three weeks before the due date for a
14baby, or less than 37-weeks' gestation; and

15WHEREAS, Preterm birth can happen to any pregnant woman and

1in about four out of every ten cases the causes are unknown; and

2WHEREAS, There are three groups of women at greatest risk of
3preterm labor and birth: women who have had a previous preterm
4birth; women who are pregnant with twins, triplets or more; and
5women with certain uterine or cervical abnormalities; and

6WHEREAS, If a woman has any of these three risk factors, it
7is especially important for her to know the signs and symptoms
8of preterm labor and what to do if they occur; and

9WHEREAS, Among the known lifestyle risk factors for preterm
10birth are a woman's use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs and
11inadequate preconception and prenatal care, although prematurity
12in birth may occur in women who have no known risk factors; and

13WHEREAS, Preterm babies represent the largest child patient
14group and their number continues to increase even as the total
15number of births is steadily decreasing; and

16WHEREAS, Worldwide, about one baby in ten is born premature
17and, every year, about 15 million children are born too early;
18and

19WHEREAS, Despite this high number and the risks involved, the
20public is not fully aware of the prevention of preterm birth and
21the problems and risks involved in the development of a preterm
22infant; and

23WHEREAS, A recent report ranks the United States 131st in the
24world in terms of its preterm birth rate of 12 per 100 live
25births, almost tied with Somalia, Thailand and Turkey; and

26WHEREAS, With a 2012 preterm birth rate of 11%, Pennsylvania
27received a "B" on its report card, indicating improvement in the
28past years, but still the need for more improvement in reducing
29the number of preterm births in this Commonwealth exists; and

30WHEREAS, Although babies may survive preterm birth, some may

1require special medical care requiring weeks or months of
2hospitalization and oftentimes these babies face adverse health
3conditions over the course of their lives, such as chronic
4respiratory problems; cerebral palsy; a higher risk of learning,
5behavioral and intellectual disabilities; vision and hearing
6loss; feeding and digestive problems; sensory and motor
7deficits; infections; and cardiovascular diseases or diabetes,
8compared to their full-term counterparts; and

9WHEREAS, The annual costs of these unfortunate health
10consequences relating to premature births in the United States
11are estimated at more than $26 billion; and

12WHEREAS, Prematurity is the leading cause of death for
13newborn babies and, compared to most industrialized countries,
14the United States has a high rate of preterm birth, as each year
15more than 500,000 preterm births, affecting 12.3% of all babies,
16occur in this nation; and

17WHEREAS, Although doctors have made exceptional progress in
18the care of premature babies, more research is needed to
19increase the medical community's understanding of the risk
20factors for premature birth; and

21WHEREAS, Researchers agree that better screening tests need
22to be developed to identify women destined to give birth early,
23as well as treatments that can be used early to interrupt the
24cascade of events leading to prematurity; therefore be it

25RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate
26November 17, 2013, as "World Prematurity Day" in Pennsylvania
27and recognize the serious public health concern of prematurity
28in birth and the compelling need to reduce the incidence of
29preterm births in this Commonwealth; and be it further

30RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend the staff

1and volunteers of the March of Dimes for their considerable
2efforts toward preventing preterm birth, infant mortality and
3birth defects by educating and supporting women and families
4regarding healthy birth.