[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 110 (Friday, September 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9249-S9250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           FASD AWARENESS DAY

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, tomorrow is the ninth day of the ninth 
month, a day designated as International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum 
Awareness Day. I rise today to state

[[Page S9250]]

that it is imperative that we continue to spread the word that no 
amount of alcohol is safe to consume during the 9 months of pregnancy. 
By continuing to raise awareness, we can hopefully minimize the harm 
that drinking during pregnancy causes our most vulnerable population--
our children.
  In February of 1999, a small group of parents, raising children 
afflicted with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, set out to change the 
world. That small group started a support group which quickly became a 
worldwide grassroots movement to observe September 9 as International 
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day. This year, for the 
eighth consecutive year, events are occurring in cities and towns not 
just across the country but around the world.
  In my State of Alaska, I am proud that events are occurring in 
Juneau, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. Citizens from my State are raising 
awareness about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy though a 
variety of events, such as passing out brochures with preventative 
messages to physicians' offices, delivering cocktail napkins to area 
bars with a message stamped on them that reminds pregnant women to not 
drink, and conducting high school assemblies which teach students about 
the dangers of alcohol on the developing fetus.
  As we all know, FASD is 100 percent preventable, yet it remains a 
leading cause of nonhereditary mental retardation in the United States. 
Many children affected by maternal drinking during pregnancy have 
irreversible conditions--including severe brain damage--that cause 
permanent, lifelong disability.
  Every year in America, an estimated 1 in every 100 babies is born 
with FASD--that is 40,000 infants. FASD affects more children than Down 
syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and muscular dystrophy combined.
  In Alaska, we sadly continue to have the highest rate of FASD in the 
Nation. Approximately 163 Alaskan babies are born each year affected by 
maternal alcohol use during pregnancy. Among our Native communities, 
the rate of FASD can be 15 times higher than non-Native areas in the 
State.
  Despite these troubling figures, FASD is still widely under 
diagnosed, misdiagnosed, or not diagnosed at all. Diagnosis is critical 
because many persons with FASD can overcome learning and behavioral 
problems and succeed but only with appropriate health, social, and 
educational resources.
  The cost of FASD is high--more than $3 billion each year in direct 
health care costs. The indirect financial and social costs are also 
great--including the cost of specialized health care, education, job 
training, and general support services.
  That is why prevention is so imperative. Prevention of FASD is seven 
times more cost effective than treating the disorder. But more 
importantly, abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy will save a 
family a lifetime of heartache and will prevent the greatest loss of 
all that of human potential.
  Senator Tim Johnson and I have introduced the Advancing FASD 
Research, Prevention, and Services Act. Our bill will develop targeted 
State and community-based outreach programs and will improve current 
support services for families who are living with FASD. It will also 
improve coordination among Federal agencies involved in FASD treatment 
and research by establishing stronger communication with these 
programs. Lastly, it will strengthen educational outreach efforts to 
doctors, teachers, judges, and others whose work puts them in contact 
with people with FASD. I ask my colleagues to support the Advancing 
FASD, Research, Prevention and Services Act.
  Mr. President, tomorrow, on Fetal Alcohol Awareness Day, let us pause 
to remember the innocent babies inflicted with this disorder and then 
let us imagine the potential that these babies could have attained but 
for the damage done by alcohol.

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