[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 7 (Friday, January 12, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SPINA BIFIDA CAUCUS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 12, 2007

  Mr. STUPAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize January as Birth 
Defects Prevention and the week of January 8th through January 14th as 
Folic Acid Awareness Week. As the co-chair of the Congressional Spina 
Bifida Caucus, I have a long-standing commitment to reducing and 
preventing suffering from Spina Bifida, the nation's most common, 
permanently disabling birth defect, and helping to reduce future cases 
of Spina Bifida through increasing awareness of the need for women of 
child-bearing age to consume folic acid. More than 70,000 individuals 
in the United States are affected by Spina Bifida--a serious and life-
long condition which occurs when the spinal cord fails to close 
properly during the early stages of pregnancy. Spina Bifida affects 
virtually all organ systems and results in myriad health, 
developmental, psychosocial, educational, and vocational challenges and 
complications.
  Research indicates that consumption of the B vitamin, folic acid, 
before and during early pregnancy can lower the rate of Spina Bifida 
and other neural tube defects by up to 70 percent. The U.S. Public 
Health Service recommends 400 micrograms of folic acid daily for all 
women of childbearing age. Most over-the-counter daily multi-vitamins 
have this amount of folic acid. It is recommended that women take 
multivitamins and consume fortified grains as part of a healthy diet.
  Despite this startling impact of folic acid on public health, the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that too many 
women of child-bearing age still do not consume adequate levels of 
folic acid. Of particular concern is that statistics show higher 
prevalence of Latinas in the United States delivering babies with Spina 
Bifida and other neural tube defects, serious birth defects of the 
brain and the spine, than non-Hispanic white women. CDC reports that 
Latinos in the United States consume the least amount of folic acid and 
have the least knowledge about folic acid among racial or ethnic groups 
in this country. More must be done to increase consumption of folic 
acid among all women, particularly Latino populations, so we can 
continue to decrease the number of pregnancies affected by Spina Bifida 
and other neural tube defects.
  The National Spina Bifida Program at the CDC provides information and 
initiatives to empower individuals, families, and health care providers 
with the resources they need to boost folic acid consumption and 
prevent secondary effects and complications of Spina Bifida. I commend 
the CDC for its important work and encourage the agency to expand its 
Spina Bifida quality of life initiatives and its folic acid awareness 
campaigns. While much has been accomplished by the National Spina 
Bifida Program thus far, there remains an unmet need due to limited 
resources. Increased funding would help ensure that the program has the 
resources necessary to support and expand folic acid education and 
awareness and quality-of-life efforts. I thank my colleagues for their 
support of the National Spina Bifida Program in past years and look 
forward to continuing to support this program so it can sustain and 
expand its scope of work.
  Also, through my co-chairmanship, it has brought to my attention that 
not all corn products in the United States are enriched with folic 
acid. Public health officials believe that much of the Hispanic/Latino 
Spina Bifida health disparity is due to the fact that a significant 
proportion of the food consumed by Hispanic/Latino women of child-
bearing age is imported corn-based products that are not enriched with 
folic acid. As such, I encourage all producers of corn products to 
enrich their foods with folic acid.
  I encourage all women of child-bearing age to follow the CDC 
recommendations and take a daily multi-vitamin with at least 400 
micrograms of folic acid. The message of folic acid consumption must be 
disseminated not only this week and this month--but throughout the 
year--so that our goal of reducing and preventing suffering from Spina 
Bifida can be achieved.
  I also would like to take this opportunity to commend the Spina 
Bifida Association for its work to support individuals and families 
affected by Spina Bifida and to increase awareness of the importance of 
folic acid consumption.
  Finally, Madam Speaker, I encourage all of our colleagues to help 
spread the word about the importance of folic acid consumption, and I 
would be happy to provide any interested Members with information to 
share with their constituents. Also, I ask that my fellow colleagues 
join me and my co-chair, Congressman Chris Smith, in the Congressional 
Spina Bifida Caucus. I thank my colleagues for their attention to this 
important public health issue and again am pleased to recognize January 
as Birth Defects Prevention Month and this week, January 8th through 
January 14th, as Folic Acid Awareness Week.