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Credit: Liz Moughon
Events

“Before a Breath”: ProPublica’s New Documentary About the U.S. Stillbirth Crisis

Join us for a compelling discussion of this intimate, infuriating and ultimately hopeful film that illuminates the aftermath of stillbirth.

Virtual Event

More than 20,000 babies are stillborn in the U.S. each year. At least a quarter of those losses are probably preventable. Other wealthy countries have reduced their stillbirth rates through investments in research, data collection, care protocols and awareness campaigns. The U.S. has done far less to address the problem, and its rates remain stubbornly high.

ProPublica’s new documentary feature, “Before a Breath,” weaves together the stories of three mothers who have lost children to stillbirth and are now striving to make pregnancy safer.

After the stillbirth of her daughter, Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya goes to Washington. She finds herself battling entrenched political inertia as she fights for passage of the SHINE for Autumn Act, legislation named for her stillborn daughter. Kanika Harris, a maternal health advocate, takes change into her own hands, telling the story of Kodjo and Zindzi, the twins she lost, as she trains a new generation of Black birth workers. The stakes for making birth safer crystalize as we meet Stephanie Lee, a nurse administrator in Manhattan, who seeks answers about her daughter Elodie’s stillbirth as she takes the ultimate leap of faith. We follow her as she prepares to give birth to her second child under the care of the Rainbow Clinic at Mount Sinai, which offers specialized care for parents who have experienced these losses.

Inspired by Duaa Eldeib’s groundbreaking reporting, which was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize, “Before a Breath” shines a light on the aftermath of stillbirth.

You can attend the film’s virtual premiere on YouTube on Thursday, March 20, at 8 p.m. EDT. Director Nadia Sussman and Duaa Eldeib will participate in a live chat during the screening. Set a reminder to attend here.

Then on Wednesday, April 2, at 4 p.m. EDT, please join ProPublica reporters for a virtual event as they welcome the film's main participants to share their powerful insights and experiences surrounding the stillbirth crisis.

Speakers include:

  • Nadia Sussman, director
  • Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica reporter and producer
  • Dr. Joanne Stone, system chair of the Raquel and Jaime Gilinski Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the director of the Mount Sinai Rainbow Clinic.
  • Kanika Harris, Ph.D., maternal health advocate, doula and film participant
  • Stephanie Lee, associate director of nursing in critical care at a New York City hospital and film participant
  • Debbie Haine Vijayvergiya, stillbirth parent advocate (SHINE for Autumn Act) and film participant

This event has ended.