[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 24, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1892-E1893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SPINA BIFIDA AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2008

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, recently I had the pleasure to 
meet with Joyce Jones, who is a Spina Bifida Association board chair, 
and past board member of the Spina Bifida Association's Central Indiana 
Chapter. Ms. Jones's daughter, Lisa, is afflicted with spina bifida, 
and also is active within the chapter and is a past Chapter president. 
Ms. Jones visited my office to discuss the daily challenges that her 
daughter faces as an adult suffering from spina bifida. As the House of 
Representatives prepares to adjourn, possibly for the year but 
certainly through the November elections, I rise tonight to ask my 
colleagues to join me in the best spirit of bipartisanship to help 
raise awareness of the struggles of people like Lisa Joyce by 
recognizing October as National Spina Bifida Awareness Month.
  For my colleagues who may not know, spina bifida--which literally 
means split spine--is our Nation's most common, permanently disabling, 
birth defect. This defect often presents itself within the first month 
of a pregnancy and leaves a permanent opening in the spinal column of 
the unborn child. Due to this opening, a person with spina bifida faces 
complications with almost every organ system, including physical, 
developmental, educational, and vocational challenges throughout life. 
The estimated total medical and surgical costs for persons affected by 
spina bifida in the United States exceed $200 million. Currently an 
estimated 70,000 to 130,000 Americans are afflicted with this condition 
and that number is growing by about 3,000 annually.
  Compounding this tragedy is the fact that spina bifida, and many 
other so-called neural tube defects, are largely preventable. In fact, 
research has shown that adequate' consumption of folic acid or vitamin-
B by women of child-bearing age before and during their pregnancies 
could lower the possibility of a pregnancy affected by a neural tube 
defect by almost 70 percent. The important point, however, is that 
folic acid is water soluble and it does not stay in the body for very 
long; so women need to take it every day to help reduce the risk of 
neural tube defects. Throughout October, the Spina Bifida Association 
and others will work to raise awareness of the fact that all women of 
child-bearing age are at risk for having a pregnancy affected by spina 
bifida; and the fact that they can significantly lower that risk by 
taking a daily dose of folic acid.
  National Spina Bifida Awareness Month is perhaps the most valuable 
tool we have to

[[Page E1893]]

help convey this message and I hope that my colleagues will spend 
October, as I will, speaking out about this critically important issue.

                          ____________________