[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19524-19525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      SPINA BIFIDA AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. GRAHAM of South Carolina. Mr. President, I rise in recognition of 
October as Spina Bifida Awareness Month.
  Spina bifida is the Nation's most common, permanently disabling birth 
defect. It is a neural tube defect that occurs when the central nervous 
system does not properly close during the early stages of pregnancy. 
Each year more than 4,000 pregnancies are affected and of these 1,500 
babies are born with spina bifida. The most severe form of spina bifida 
occurs in 96 percent of children born with this disease. However, 
thanks to the good work that the Spina Bifida Association of America is 
carrying out to promote prevention and to enhance the lives of all 
affected by this condition, substantial progress is being made.
  During Spina Bifida Awareness Month, a special effort is made to 
increase public awareness about spina bifida and its prevention. Simply 
by taking a daily dose of the B vitamin, folic acid, women of 
childbearing age have the power to reduce the incidence of spina bifida 
by up to 75 percent. Recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, CDC, show that 40 percent of women of childbearing age 
now report taking a vitamin containing folic acid every day. In 
addition, since the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, decision to 
fortify enriched grains with folic acid, CDC has documented a 26 
percent decline in these birth defects. These simple changes that 
produce profound effects clearly demonstrate the importance of 
awareness.
  In addition to educating the public about spina bifida, the Spina 
Bifida Association of America also addresses the needs of the spina 
bifida community. Founded in 1973, the association is the only national 
organization solely dedicated to advocating on behalf of the spina 
bifida community. Today, there are approximately 60 chapters serving 
over 125 communities nationwide.
  I am honored to support the Spina Bifida Association and wish to 
commend them for all of their hard work to prevent and reduce suffering 
from this birth defect. I greatly appreciate their

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efforts to improve the lives of those 70,000 individuals living with 
spina bifida throughout our country. I wish the Spina Bifida 
Association of America the best of luck in its endeavors and urge all 
of my colleagues to support the association's efforts.

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