[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 146 (Wednesday, October 14, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS ACT OF 1998

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am pleased to report that, after years 
of waiting, families facing the tragedy of alcohol-related birth 
defects can finally expect a coordinated federal response to their 
needs. The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect Prevention 
and Services Act, which has been included as part of S. 1754, the 
Health Professions Education Partnerships Act, will establish a 
national task force to address FAS and FAE, and a competitive grant 
program to fund prevention and intervention for affected children and 
their families.
  The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect Prevention and 
Services Act was introduced as S. 1875 earlier this year and, with 
today's Senate passage, will be cleared for the President's signature. 
It is a modest measure, but its implications--in terms of children 
saved, families saved, and dollars saved--are dramatic.
  Alcohol-related birth defects, commonly known as Fetal Alcohol 
Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE), wreak havoc on the lives 
of affected children and their families. The neurological damage done 
by fetal exposure to alcohol is irreversible and extensive, 
undercutting normal intellectual capacity and emotional development. A 
child with FAS or FAE may be unable to think clearly, to discern right 
from wrong, to form relationships, to act responsibly, to live 
independently.
  The complicated and debilitating array of mental, physical, and 
behavioral problems associated with FAS and FAE can lead to continual 
use of medical, mental health, and social services--as well as 
difficulty learning basic skills and remaining in school, alarming 
rates of anti-social behavior and incarceration, and a heightened risk 
of alcohol and drug abuse. FAS is the leading cause of mental 
retardation in the United States.
  And it is 100 percent preventable.
  FAS is completely preventable, yet, each year in the United States, 
some 12,000 children are born with FAS. The rate of FAE may be 3 times 
that. Researchers believe these conditions are often missed--or 
misdiagnosed--so the actual number of victims is almost certainly 
higher.
  The incidence of FAS is nearly double that of Down's syndrome and 
almost 5 times that of spina bifida. In some Native American 
communities, one of every 100 children is diagnosed with FAS.
  It has been more than 30 years since researchers identified a direct 
link between maternal consumption of alcohol and serious birth defects. 
Yet, the rate of alcohol use among pregnant women has not declined, nor 
has the rate of alcohol-related birth defects. In fact, both are 
increasing over time.
  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported a sixfold increase in 
the percentage of babies with FAS born between 1980 and 1995. This 
increase is consistent with the CDC's finding that rates of alcohol use 
during pregnancy, especially the rates of ``frequent drinking,'' 
increased significantly between 1991 and 1995. These findings defy the 
Surgeon General's warning against drinking while pregnant as well as a 
strongly worded advisory issued in 1991 by the American Medical 
Association urging women to abstain from all alcohol during pregnancy. 
Clearly, we need to do more to discourage women from jeopardizing their 
children's future by drinking while pregnant.
  In addition to the tragic consequences for thousands of children and 
their families, these disturbing trends have a staggering fiscal 
impact. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the 
lifetime private and public cost of treating an individual with FAS at 
almost $1.4 million. The total cost in terms of health care and social 
services to treat all Americans with FAS was estimated at $2.7 billion 
in 1995. This is an extraordinary and unnecessary expense.
  We know FAS and FAE are not ``minor'' problems. They are prevalent; 
they are irreversible; they are devastating to the victim and his or 
her family; and they are a drain on societal resources. We know the 
word is not getting out--or maybe it's not getting through--that 
drinking alcohol during pregnancy is a tremendous and senseless risk. 
We know children with FAS and FAE and their families are not receiving 
appropriate services, and we are all paying the consequences.
  Given what we know about FAS and FAE, our governmental and societal 
response to date are clearly inadequate. With this legislation, we are 
finally strengthening that response.
  To the extent we can prevent FAS and FAE and help parents respond 
appropriately to the special needs of their children, we can reduce 
institutionalizations, incarcerations and the repeated use of medical, 
mental health and social services that otherwise may be inevitable. It 
makes fiscal sense, but, far more importantly, it is what we need to do 
for the children and families who suffer its impact.
  The legislation we are sending to the President will establish a 
national task force of parents, educators, researchers and 
representatives from relevant federal, state and local agencies. That 
task force will tell us how to raise awareness about FAS and FAE--how 
to prevent it and how to deliver the kinds of services that will enable 
children and adults with FAS and FAE, and their families, to cope with 
its devastating effects.
  A national task force with membership from outside of, as well as 
within, the federal government is our best bet if we want to take a 
realistic look at this problem and address it. The true experts on 
these conditions are the parents and professionals who deal with the 
cause and effects of these conditions day in and day out. If we want to 
respond appropriately, parents, teachers, social workers, and 
researchers should have a place at the table. A national task force 
will also provide the opportunity for communities to share best 
practices, preventing states that are newer to this problem from having 
to ``reinvent the wheel.''
  In conjunction with the task force efforts, the Secretary will 
establish a competitive grants program. This $25 million program will 
provide the resources necessary to operationalize the task force 
recommendations by supporting education and public awareness, 
coordination between agencies that interact with affected individuals 
and their families, and applied research to identify effective 
prevention strategies and FAS/FAE services.
  Mr. President, responding to the tragedy of alcohol-related birth 
defects is an urgent cause. I'd like to thank the many concerned 
parents, researchers, educators, advocacy organizations and federal 
agencies for their invaluable input on this legislation. I am confident 
this initiative will deliver profound benefits to the Nation, and I am 
thrilled to see us moving toward its enactment.

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