[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 132 (Thursday, September 8, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5464-S5465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 259, submitted earlier 
today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 259) designating September 9, 2011, 
     as ``National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness 
     Day.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.

[[Page S5465]]

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 259) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 259

       Whereas the term ``fetal alcohol spectrum disorders'' 
     includes a broader range of conditions than the term ``fetal 
     alcohol syndrome'' 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 cognitive disability 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, although the economic costs of fetal alcohol 
     spectrum disorders are difficult to estimate, the cost of 
     fetal alcohol syndrome alone in the United States was 
     approximately $6,000,000,000 in 2007, and it is estimated 
     that each individual with fetal alcohol syndrome will cost 
     the taxpayers of the United States between $860,000 and 
     $4,000,000 during the lifetime of the individual;
       Whereas, in February 1999, a small group of parents of 
     children who suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders 
     came together with the hope that they could make the world 
     aware of the devastating consequences of alcohol consumption 
     during pregnancy by establishing International Fetal Alcohol 
     Syndrome Awareness Day;
       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, 2011, 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 the effects of prenatal exposure to 
     alcohol; and
       (iv) to ensure healthier communities across the United 
     States; and
       (B) to observe a moment of reflection during the ninth hour 
     of September 9, 2011, to remember that during the 9 months of 
     pregnancy a woman should not consume alcohol.

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