Committee approves "Angel’s Law" to fund cooling devices and bereavement supports for families

Senate Bill 32, known in testimony as Angel’s Law, was reported favorably by the House Health and Welfare Committee on April 28. The bill would establish a perinatal bereavement initiative in the Louisiana Department of Health to help hospitals obtain cooling cots and provide bereavement training so families have more time with infants who die at or around birth.

"This is why this matters so deeply to me," said Christie Lamarck Bordelon, a bereavement nurse navigator at St. Tammany Health System, who described clinical and research evidence that staff care and appropriate equipment materially affect families’ healing after miscarriage or stillbirth. "SB 32 — Angel's Law — is about protecting time. It ensures that hospitals are equipped with tools they need and staff are trained to respond with compassion."

Jamie Strahl, a mother who said her daughter Heidi died during childbirth on May 4, 2024, told committee members the hospital’s cooling device allowed her two days of memories she otherwise would not have had. "Those 2 days are some of the most precious memories of my life," she said. Several representatives praised the testimony and the bill’s focus on dignity and family-centered care.

Chairman McMath and supporters noted the bill drew widespread co-authorship and 39 green cards in support; committee members adopted technical amendments and reported SB 32 favorably with amendments.

What happens next: SB 32 will move to the full House with the committee’s favorable report. Sponsors said the initiative will focus on equipment, staff training and institution-level bereavement resources.