[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 90 (Wednesday, July 12, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7442-S7443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DESIGNATING ``NATIONAL FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS AWARENESS DAY''

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration, and the 
Senate now proceed to S. Res. 499.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 499) designating September 9, 2006, 
     as ``National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness 
     Day.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, in June of this year, parents of 
children afflicted with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and their 
advocates traveled to our Nation's Capital for the annual FASD Hill 
Day. FASD Hill Day is sponsored by the National Organization on Fetal 
Alcohol Syndrome and organizations that support those who care for FASD 
children in our States and communities.
  Nobody knows better than a parent of a child afflicted with FASD how 
challenging it is to raise a child who was exposed to alcohol before 
birth. Nobody knows better the physical, mental, behavioral and 
learning disabilities that can have lifelong implications. I hope that 
my colleagues had the opportunity to meet with the parents and 
advocates who participated in FASD Hill Day because they had a very 
important story to tell. I am sure their stories moved you, as they did 
me.
  At the conclusion of FASD Hill Day, the National Organization on 
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome hosted its annual Leadership Awards Benefit 
Reception, which was attended by the parents and advocates, as well as 
the children. I am pleased to inform my colleagues that the 
distinguished Senator from North Dakota, Mr. Dorgan, received the 2006 
Leadership Award at the benefit reception. As a Senator who represents 
a State with one of the highest incidence rates of fetal alcohol 
spectrum disorders, I appreciate the leadership of Mr. Dorgan and the 
support of all our colleagues, in the crusade to eradicate FASD.
  The term ``fetal alcohol spectrum disorders'' was coined by experts 
as an umbrella term to describe the range of effects that can occur in 
an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. It refers to 
conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome, fetal alcohol effects, 
alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder and alcohol-related birth 
defects.
  The only cause of FASD is alcohol use during pregancy. When a 
pregnant woman drinks, the alcohol crosses the placenta into the fetal 
blood system, reaching the fetus, its developing tissues, and organs. 
This is how brain damage occurs, which in turn can lead to mental 
retardation, social and emotional problems, learning disabilities and 
other problems. It will shock my

[[Page S7443]]

colleagues to know that FASD is the leading cause of mental retardation 
in all of Western civilization, including the United States.
  By abstaining from the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy a 
woman can be 100 percent certain that her baby will not be born with 
any of the conditions regarded as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. 
Every day of the year we must remind women that no amount of alcohol 
consumed during pregnancy is safe for their baby. No alcohol during 
pregnancy is safe. None at all.
  To dramatize this point, a group of parents raising children 
afflicted with FASD came together on the Internet and wondered in 
cyberspace, ``What if a world full of FASD parents came together on the 
9th hour of the 9th day of the 9th month of the year and asked the 
world to remember that during the 9 months of pregnancy a woman should 
not consume alcohol?'' If this were to occur, they wondered, ``Would 
the world listen?''
  These pioneering activists, many of whom were adoptive and foster 
parents, organized the first International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 
Awareness Day, which was observed on September 9, 1999. On the 9th hour 
of the 9th day of the 9th month every year they call upon all the 
peoples of this Nation, and all the peoples of this world, to observe a 
moment of silence to remind women of childbearing age that no amount of 
alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Their group continues to grow, 
including more than 70 volunteer coordinators in eight countries. 
Through this grassroots awareness effort, many women of childbearing 
age are learning that no amount of alcohol during pregnancy is safe.
  On September 9, 2004, for the first time, the moment of silence was 
observed on the Senate floor. It is my hope that the Senate honor this 
moment every year until fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are 
eradicated.
  The resolution that I have introduced, S. Res. 499, designates 
September 9, 2006, as National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Awareness Day. I 
thank my colleagues for their consideration and support of this 
resolution, which is so very important to the millions of Americans who 
are touched by FASD.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 499) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 499

       Whereas the term ``fetal alcohol spectrum disorders'' 
     includes a broader range of conditions and therefore has 
     replaced the term ``fetal alcohol syndrome'' as the umbrella 
     term describing the range of effects that can occur in an 
     individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy;
       Whereas fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are the leading 
     cause of mental retardation in western civilization, 
     including the United States, and are 100 percent preventable;
       Whereas fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are a major cause 
     of numerous social disorders, including learning 
     disabilities, school failure, juvenile delinquency, 
     homelessness, unemployment, mental illness, and crime;
       Whereas the incidence rate of fetal alcohol syndrome is 
     estimated at 1 out of 500 live births and the incidence rate 
     of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders is estimated at 1 out of 
     every 100 live births;
       Whereas the economic cost of fetal alcohol syndrome alone 
     to the Nation was $5,400,000,000 in 2003 and it is estimated 
     that each individual with fetal alcohol syndrome will cost 
     taxpayers of the United States between $1,500,000 and 
     $3,000,000 in his or her lifetime;
       Whereas, in February 1999, a small group of parents of 
     children who suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders 
     came together with the hope that in 1 magic moment the world 
     could be made aware of the devastating consequences of 
     alcohol consumption during pregnancy;
       Whereas the first International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 
     Awareness Day was observed on September 9, 1999;
       Whereas Bonnie Buxton of Toronto, Canada, the co-founder of 
     the first International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day, 
     asked ``What if . . . a world full of FAS/E [Fetal Alcohol 
     Syndrome/Effect] parents all got together on the ninth hour 
     of the ninth day of the ninth month of the year and asked the 
     world to remember that during the 9 months of pregnancy a 
     woman should not consume alcohol . . . would the rest of the 
     world listen?''; and
       Whereas on the ninth day of the ninth month of each year 
     since 1999, communities around the world have observed 
     International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 9, 2006, as ``National Fetal 
     Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day''; and
       (2) calls upon the people of the United States--
       (A) to observe National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders 
     Awareness Day with appropriate ceremonies--
       (i) to promote awareness of the effects of prenatal 
     exposure to alcohol;
       (ii) to increase compassion for individuals affected by 
     prenatal exposure to alcohol;
       (iii) to minimize further effects of prenatal exposure to 
     alcohol; and
       (iv) to ensure healthier communities across the United 
     States; and
       (B) to observe a moment of reflection on the ninth hour of 
     September 9, 2006, to remember that during the 9 months of 
     pregnancy a woman should not consume alcohol.

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