[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 106 (Thursday, September 9, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S8981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER AWARENESS DAY

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, as the distinguished minority leader 
and distinguished Senator from Nevada have spoken to this morning, 
today is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day in the United 
States.
  The ninth hour of the ninth day in the ninth month having arrived, I 
ask unanimous consent that the Senate observe a moment of reflection to 
remind women who are pregnant and those women who may become pregnant 
that no amount of alcohol, none at all, is safe during the 9 months of 
pregnancy.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (The Senate observed a moment of reflection.)
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Thank you, Mr. President.
  Mr. President, by raising awareness one moment at a time, we can 
attempt to minimize the damaging effects of drinking during pregnancy.
  In late February of 1999, there was a small group of parents who were 
raising children afflicted with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and 
this small group of parents essentially set out to change the world. 
The leaders of this group were Bonnie Buxton and Brian Philcox of 
Toronto and Teresa Kellerman of Tucson.
  They were frustrated, frustrated about the lack of public awareness 
about fetal alcohol spectrum disorders by both the public and the 
professionals. These parents wondered aloud. They were communicating 
with one another on an online Internet support group called F-A-S link. 
They wondered, What if on the ninth minute of the ninth day of the 
ninth month we asked the world to remember that during the 9 months of 
pregnancy a woman should remain alcohol free. And what if we also asked 
the world to remember those millions of people who will never fulfill 
their potential because of prenatal alcohol exposure.
  And at this moment, they asked: Could we begin to change the world? 
Can we begin to change the path that so many children have been faced 
with as they set out in the world burdened with the affliction they 
were born with, fetal alcohol disorders?
  So this year, for the sixth consecutive year, communities across the 
world are pausing during the ninth hour to acknowledge International 
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day. FAS Day will be 
observed extensively in my home State of Alaska with ceremonies being 
observed across the State.
  I appreciated the comments from the minority leader about the 
devastating effects in his home State of South Dakota. In Alaska, we, 
too, are faced with incredible statistics as they relate to those who 
are born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
  In many parts of my State, particularly in the rural parts of the 
State, we have villages where the amount of children born with FASD is 
four times the national average. The statistics are absolutely 
horrific.
  I was in a very small community of about several hundred people 
during the August recess. I was approached by a woman who was a 
teacher. She had been out in this community for several years. Her 
greatest concern as a teacher was what I was going to do in my capacity 
in the Senate to make women aware of the consequences of drinking while 
pregnant. She was dealing with students coming to her classroom who 
were not only not able to learn but quite possibly will never be able 
to learn because they were born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

  I am grateful the Senate is recognizing International Fetal Alcohol 
Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day and has paused to join in this 
worldwide moment of reflection. For this, I thank my colleagues, 
especially the distinguished minority leader, the Senator from South 
Dakota, who has joined with me in offering Senate Resolution 390 
creating the first National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness 
Day earlier this year. I hope we will continue to pause in the ninth 
hour of the ninth day each September until fetal alcohol spectrum 
disorders are eradicated.
  The eradication of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders is by no means an 
impossible dream. This is achievable. The simple truth about fetal 
alcohol spectrum disorders is they can be eradicated, they can be 
stopped, they can be wiped out if women resolve to consume no alcohol 
during the term of their pregnancy.
  This simple prescription--no alcohol--may seem extreme, it may seem 
absolute, it may even seem harsh to some, but there is no gentler way 
to put it.
  The term ``fetal alcohol spectrum disorders'' describes a range of 
conditions that can befall a child whose mother consumed alcohol during 
pregnancy. I will not list the technical names of each of those 
conditions because that is not important. What is important is that if 
women consume alcohol during pregnancy, they expose their unborn child 
to the risk of suffering one or more of the fetal alcohol spectrum 
disorders.
  It is vitally important for all women to know that fetal alcohol 
spectrum disorders are the No. 1 preventable cause of mental 
retardation and birth defects. An individual with fetal alcohol 
spectrum disorders can incur a lifetime health cost of over $800,000. 
Children do not outgrow fetal alcohol disorders; the physical and 
behavioral problems can last a lifetime. When a pregnant woman consumes 
alcohol, it passes through her bloodstream to the unborn child. It can 
cause damage to the brain. It can result in low birth weight. The 
child, when he or she is born, may have trouble sleeping, may have 
trouble eating. As the child matures, he or she can have problems 
learning, paying attention. Some even need lifelong medical care.
  It should be stressed that there is no woman who is genetically 
immune from the consequences of consuming alcohol during pregnancy. The 
message is very clear, it is very simple: In pregnancy, no amount of 
alcohol, no matter how small, is safe. There is no safe time. There is 
no safe drink. There is no safe amount. The message is, if you are 
pregnant, do not drink. If you drink, do not get pregnant.
  Yesterday afternoon, the President of the United States wrote a 
message to all of those observing National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum 
Disorders Awareness Day. I ask unanimous consent the text of the 
President's message be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                              The White House,

                                    Washington, September 8, 2004.
       I send greetings to those observing National Fetal Alcohol 
     Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day on September 9, 2004.
       Children are a precious gift and a source of great hope for 
     our future. To preserve their dreams and their health, we 
     must continue to work together to increase awareness about 
     the dangers of alcohol consumption by expectant mothers. This 
     observance helps to educate the public about Fetal Alcohol 
     Syndrome and its effects, such as learning disabilities and 
     mental illness, and promote healthier communities.
       I applaud all those involved for your compassion and your 
     dedication to improving the health and well-being of our 
     children and their parents. Your efforts bring comfort to 
     countless families and help make America a better place.
       Laura joins me in sending our best wishes.
                                                   George W. Bush.

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Murkowski). The Senator from Ohio.
  Mr. DeWINE. Madam President, let me first commend my colleague from 
Alaska as well as my colleague from South Dakota for their very 
excellent statements about a problem that I understand affects their 
States but certainly affects every State in the Union. I hope their 
comments today will be of help. I know their efforts will certainly 
help. It is, as my colleague from Alaska has so eloquently said, very 
preventable. It is something that we who have the opportunity to use 
this bully pulpit of the Senate, as Theodore Roosevelt would say, can 
talk about to educate and inform people about the problem and that it 
is, in fact, preventable.




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