[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E23-E24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          COMPREHENSIVE FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME PREVENTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BILL RICHARDSON

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 1997

  Mr. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to be introducing 
legislation to help lead the battle to end fetal alcohol syndrome. The 
Comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Act will establish a 
well-coordinated prevention program to help end one of the most 
devastating conditions afflicting our Nation's children today.
  Fetal alcohol syndrome is a frustrating problem in our society today. 
It is completely preventable. Very simple. No alcohol. No birth 
defects. It sounds like it would be easy to eliminate this problem but 
it's not.
  Fetal alcohol syndrome remains one of the top three causes of birth 
defects in this Nation and the leading known cause of mental 
retardation. In my home State of New Mexico, some parts of the State 
have rates of fetal alcohol syndrome from two to five times higher than 
the national average.
  The bill being introduced in the House today is an important step in 
the right direction toward eliminating this problem. This legislation 
will help create comprehensive public education, prevention, and 
research programs within the Department of Health and Human Services. 
The bill will give us a coordinated system to begin to really reduce 
the incidence of this very costly birth defect.
  The bottom line is that we must get Federal funds to the areas that 
count: to schools, to community health centers, and to clinics. In 
those places, the funds can be used to spread

[[Page E24]]

the word about the dangers of consuming alcohol during pregnancy.
  It's obvious that we have not yet found an effective way to prevent 
women from consuming alcohol during pregnancy. In fact, recent studies 
have shown that the number of those born with fetal alcohol syndrome is 
actually on the rise. We have been given a challenge to our Nation's 
public health and we have so far failed to meet it.
  As we begin to earnestly debate how to reform our health care system, 
it only makes sense that we work to eliminate health care problems in 
our country that can be completely prevented.
  We must face these challenges and meet them head on. Eliminating 
these completely preventable problems will not only go a long ways 
toward improving our health care system, but also the lives of our 
people.

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