Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to improve research and public awareness of opioid use during pregnancy. I introduced the POPPY Study Act earlier this year to address this issue, and I am pleased that it is being considered here today in this form. We all know the opioid epidemic has widespread and devastating effects. Nearly all of us know someone who has been affected by the crisis, and many of us have grieved through the heartbreak of losing loved ones to addiction. Sadly, the impact this has had on Utah has been overwhelming. In my State, six Utahns die every week as a result of the opioid overdose, and we rank among the highest in the Nation for drug overdose deaths. Areas of my district have some of the highest rates of opioid prescriptions dispensed nationwide. Tragically, Utah also leads out in prescribing the most opioids to pregnant women. Across the Nation, 1 in 5 women receive an opioid prescription during pregnancy but, in Utah, that number is doubled. Of course, opioid use during pregnancy can have dramatic consequences for a mother and her unborn child. Neonatal abstinence syndrome presents itself as babies go through withdrawal, constant screaming, shaking, vomiting, and difficulty sleeping and eating. {time} 1100 This condition often requires long and expensive hospitalization. For Medicaid-covered babies, this syndrome costs more than $460 million in 2014 alone.…”