[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 101 (Friday, July 16, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S8740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ABRAHAM (for himself, Mr. Bond, and Mr. Kohl):
  S. 1384. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
a national folic acid education program to prevent birth defects, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.


   the folic acid promotion and birth defects prevention act of 1999

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Folic Acid 
Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999. I would also like 
to thank my colleagues Senator Bond and Senator Kohl for cosponsoring 
this important piece of legislation.
  Mr. President, each year over 8,000 infants die from birth defects. 
The loss of these children, who could have grown up to be community 
leaders, teachers, doctors, or lawyers, weighs heavily upon our 
society. In addition, each year over 2,500 babies born live with 
serious birth defects of the brain and spine, called neural tube 
defects, and over 50 percent of these cases are preventable. In 1991, 
research proved that if pregnant women take as little as 400 micrograms 
of B vitamin folic acid each day, 50 to 70 percent of all cases of 
these serious birth defects of the brain and spine, such as spina 
bifida, would be prevented. Unfortunately, this information is not 
widely known by the public. According to a Gallup Poll conducted for 
the March of Dimes, only 32 percent of women of childbearing age 
reported taking a multivitamin with folic acid on a daily basis.
  We must broaden public awareness about the prevention of these 
crippling defects. For this reason, I have introduced the Folic Acid 
Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999. This legislation 
authorizes $20 million for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in 
partnership with state and local public and private entities, to launch 
an education and public awareness campaign, conduct research to 
identify effective strategies for increasing folic acid consumption by 
women of reproducing age, and evaluate the effectiveness of these 
strategies.
  Mr. President, this legislation is an effort to link great advances 
in research with everyday life. This life-saving information about the 
consumption of folic acid, which will prolong the health and well-being 
of women and infants, needs to be broadcast to families and individuals 
across the country. It is my firm belief that this legislation will be 
the vehicle to help bring this important message into every home in 
America.
  I would like to take a moment to thank the March of Dimes for their 
involvement in this issue. Their work will be critical in getting this 
legislation passed and in helping spread the message of the benefits of 
folic acid. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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