Health Care Providers and Public Health Systems Should Openly Discuss Stillbirth Risk to Enable Prevention
Source: Helen Raleigh. "Colorado Recognizes Stillbirth Awareness Day As Many Families Still Find Out Too Late." September 30, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author, who lost her son to stillbirth, argues that doctors and public officials need to talk openly about stillbirth risk during pregnancy instead of staying silent about it. She says that awareness campaigns and simple monitoring steps have successfully reduced stillbirth rates elsewhere, so bringing this topic out of the shadows could prevent future tragedies and help grieving families avoid unnecessary self-blame.
Conclusion
Health care providers and public officials should proactively raise awareness about stillbirth risk, warning signs, and prevention steps, because open discussion—not silence—is the necessary first step to reducing preventable stillbirths.
Premises
- Stillbirth is common (about 1 in 175 births, roughly 21,000 pregnancies annually in the US) yet is frequently never mentioned to expectant parents during prenatal care, even in high-risk pregnancies.
- Multiple mothers who experienced stillbirth independently reported that their doctors discussed less common risks (like SIDS or toxoplasmosis) but never mentioned stillbirth at all.
- Research indicates that 25 percent of all stillbirths, and up to 47 percent of term stillbirths, may be preventable through known interventions such as monitoring fetal movement, treating maternal conditions, and timing delivery.
- A 2020 Australian study found that most women would not become overly anxious if informed about stillbirth risk, undermining the rationale providers give for withholding this information.
- Countries and regions that implemented awareness campaigns and monitoring programs (UK, Australia, Iowa's kick-counting app) saw significant reductions in stillbirth rates, while areas without such awareness efforts saw no improvement.
- Silence about stillbirth risk leads to shock, trauma, and self-blame for grieving families, whereas knowledge empowers families to take preventive action.
- Official recognition (state proclamations, national awareness days) is a necessary step to generate the broad public awareness needed to drive systemic change in prenatal care practices.
Assumptions
- Increased awareness of stillbirth risk among expectant parents will translate into behavioral or medical changes that actually reduce stillbirth rates (rather than just increasing anxiety without actionable benefit).
- Health care providers' reluctance to discuss stillbirth is primarily due to underestimating its frequency or fear of scaring patients, rather than other systemic or resource-based reasons.
- The correlation between awareness campaigns/interventions (like Iowa's app) and reduced stillbirth rates reflects genuine causation rather than confounding factors (e.g., broader improvements in prenatal care during the same period).
- Personal anecdotes from a self-selected group of mothers (support group members, documentary interviewees) are representative of broader patterns in prenatal care nationally.
- Public proclamations and awareness days meaningfully influence clinical practice and individual provider behavior, not just symbolic recognition.