Dr. Abraham B. Bergman, a pediatrician who was instrumental in passing a federal law to combat sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), died on Nov. 10 in Seattle. He was 91.

In the 1960s and early ‘70s, Dr. Bergman was president of the National Foundation for Sudden Infant Death, a grass-roots group that supported parents who had lost children to what was once commonly called crib death. Although SIDS, as the syndrome became known, was the leading killer of infants less than a year old, its cause was unknown. Parents often blamed themselves, marriages broke up and, in some cases, the authorities investigated for child abuse.

Dr. Bergman’s group sought to destigmatize SIDS, support grieving parents, and raise money for research. Its efforts led to the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Act of 1974, which appropriated millions of dollars for research.

In another groundbreaking piece of legislation, Dr. Bergman testified before a Senate subcommittee about flammable sleepwear. “You senators are in a position to save far more lives than physicians,” he said. In response, Congress toughened and broadened the Flammable Fabrics Act to require more flame-resistant clothing.