[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 105 (Thursday, July 22, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     FOLIC ACID PROMOTION AND BIRTH DEFECTS PREVENTION ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 1999

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, today, I, along with my colleague 
Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, am introducing the Folic Acid Promotion 
and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999. This bipartisan bill, with 
102 Democratic and Republican original cosponsors, is being introduced 
in the Senate by Senators Abraham, Kohl, and Bond.
  The Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999 
will provide for a national folic acid education program to prevent 
birth defects.
  Each year an estimated 2,500 babies are born in the United States 
with serious birth defects of the brain and spine, called neural tube 
defects. These neural tube defects cause crippling lifelong physical 
disabilities and at times, even death.
  However, up to 70 percent of neural tube defects could be prevented 
if women of childbearing age consumed 400 micrograms of folic acid 
daily. That means women need to eat a healthy diet and take a daily 
multivitamin. It's that simple.
  Women need to be taking folic acid before and during their first 
trimester of pregnancy because these neural tube defects occur very 
early in pregnancy, before most women know that they are pregnant and 
because roughly 50 percent of all pregnancies in the United States are 
unplanned.
  The problem is that the majority of women are not aware of the 
benefits of folic acid. A 1997 March of Dimes national survey found 
that only 30 percent of women take a multivitamin with folic acid 
before pregnancy. There is an urgent need to teach women about the 
importance of increasing their consumption of folic acid by taking a 
daily vitamin pill, eating more fortified cereal grain products, and 
eating food naturally rich in folic acid.
  Nationwide, Hispanic women have the highest rates of neural tube 
defects. In fact, in my home State of California, Hispanic mothers have 
the highest number of cases of neural tube defects than any other 
racial group and Mexican-born mothers have twice the risk of having 
babies with neural tube defects compared to United States-born mothers.
  The Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999 
will amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national 
folic acid education program to prevent birth defects. This bill 
authorizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 
partnership with states 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 reproductive capacity, and evaluate the effectiveness of these 
strategies.
  The Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999 is 
supported by leading health organization, including the March of Dimes 
Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, National 
Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners, Council 
for Responsible Nutrition, American Association of University 
Affiliated Programs for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, 
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College 
of Nurse-Midwives, American Public Health Association, Council of 
Women's and Infants' Specialty Hospitals, Easter Seals, National 
Association of County and City Health Officials, National Women's 
Health Network, and the Spina Bifida Association of America.
  I would like to recognize the March of Dimes, the National Council on 
Folic Acid and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their 
leadership and steadfast commitment to this issue. I would especially 
like to thank Jody Adams and here daughter, the March of Dimes 
Ambassador Kelsey Adams, for their hard work in publicizing this 
simple, yet highly effective, prevention strategy.
  Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues, Congresswoman Jo ann 
Emerson, as well as Senators Abraham, Kohl, and Bond for their hard 
work in raising awareness about this vitally important issue. By 
getting the message out, we can help families across the country have 
healthy babies and save the lives of thousands of babies each year.

                          ____________________