[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 193 (Monday, December 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H15728-H15729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                S. 2484

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, tonight I am proud to stand here to speak 
on behalf of S. 2484, a bill to rename the National Institute of Child 
Health and Human Development, NICHD, after my aunt, Eunice Kennedy 
Shriver.
  In 1962, Mrs. Shriver persuaded her brother, my uncle, President 
Kennedy, to establish the NICHD to ensure that all children are born 
healthy, and that they have an equal chance to achieve their full 
potential.
  Since that time, NICHD has been a global leader in producing 
developments that improve the lives of this world's children. 
Specifically, research through the NICHD has helped produce results in 
reducing the rates of sudden infant death syndrome, reducing infant 
mortality and maternal HIV transmissions.
  My aunt Eunice Shriver has spent her life fighting to deliver the 
promise of the American dream to each and every child, not only in this 
country, but around the world. She has never backed down from a 
challenge. In fact, when she heard from a mother who could not find a 
camp that would accept their disabled child, Eunice started a camp of 
her own in her own backyard, a camp for other parents who, like her, 
were trying to deal with a family member who was mentally retarded. My 
Aunt Rosemary had mental retardation, and my Aunt Eunice was inspired 
because of her experience with my Aunt Rosemary to start the Special 
Olympics. And I don't think there is anything that has probably had a 
more profound effect on millions of people's lives in this world than 
the impact that Special Olympics has had, not only on the millions of 
families whose lives that it has touched with those with intellectual 
disabilities, but also for the millions and millions of volunteers who 
have come in contact with Special Olympics and who found their lives 
moved and transformed because of their experience with Special 
Olympics.
  The Special Olympics organization has given athletes and their 
families the courage to participate in competition while always 
remembering that success is not measured by how often you win but by 
how brave you are in the attempt.
  Beyond providing athletes and their families with new and unique 
opportunities in competitive sports, the Special Olympics also 
established the Healthy Athletes Initiative, which increases health 
care to athletes at events all around the world. During 2006, 600 
screening events took place, and 135,000 athletes received a screening. 
These screenings provided not only critical care to athletes; they also 
provided appropriate treatment, and also an opportunity for those 
athletes to get the rewards of getting the best in treatment that are 
too often taken for granted by the rest of us.
  In addition to that, the data from these screenings are collected and 
used

[[Page H15729]]

to promote health policies that inform those of us here in Congress on 
how we can better develop programs here in Congress for those 
individuals with intellectual disabilities.
  The incalculable benefits resulting from this program are just a 
small example of how my Aunt Eunice has altered the future of millions 
of children in our own country and around the world.
  I just want to say once more, in a personal sense, that she has done 
so much to destigmatize the stigma of those with mental retardation. 
And, as someone who is fighting for parity for mental health coverage, 
she has also worked so hard to destigmatize mental illness, something 
that often accompanies those families who are depressed when they find 
that one of their family members has been struck with mental 
retardation. She has been someone who has fought for the human spirit 
and the dignity of the human person in every sense of the word. And, 
due to her tireless advocacy, our country has been better off for all 
of her devotion and work.
  So, it is with my great honor and pleasure that today I was able to 
join my colleagues in seeing that the National Institutes of Health saw 
the naming of the National Institutes for Childhood and Development 
named after Eunice Kennedy Shriver for all of the great work that she 
has done on behalf of every child born in this country and around the 
world. Congratulations, Aunt Eunice. It is so well deserved.

                          ____________________