As a US Senator and as a mother of two young boys – Theo, who is seven, and Henry, who is three – I expect the federal government to take decisive action when our children’s lives are at risk. Which is why just over a year ago, after meeting a parent who had lost an infant child because of these defective cribs, I made a pledge to ban the manufacture and sale of drop-side cribs in the U.S. 

With New York families who had lost their infants, I launched an effort in Congress to get this done and authored legislation that would make drop-side cribs a thing of the past. I was pleased that as a result of our action, last December, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced new rules to make it illegal to manufacture, sell or re-sell drop-side cribs and would ban these cribs in stores, nursery rooms and public places.

I’m proud to say that as of yesterday, these rules have gone into effect. These actions by the CPSC will literally save lives.

Yesterday afternoon, I stood with Senator Pryor, the CPSC’s Commissioner Robert Adler as well as Michele Witte from Nassau County Long Island, who lost her 10 month-old son Tyler in 1997, to announce the implementation of these new rules. It was my honor to be able to assure Michele and others like her that no more devoted parents would suffer the unbearable pain of losing a child due to these dangerous products.

I'm so pleased that the federal government has done its duty and has taken action to protect our innocent newborn children from the threat posed by these dangerous drop-side cribs.

Our efforts are certainly not over. Whether Democrats or Republicans, parents across the country expect Congress to continue to forge common sense solutions that keep our children safe and that’s exactly what I will continue to do to in the US Senate.