[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14201]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TAY-SACHS AWARENESS MONTH

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 853, S. Res. 
594.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 594) designating September 2008 as 
     ``Tay-Sachs Awareness Month.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. 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, with no intervening action or 
debate, and any statements related to the resolution be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 594) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 594

       Whereas Tay-Sachs disease is a rare, genetic disorder that 
     causes destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal 
     cord due to the poor functioning of an enzyme called beta-
     hexosaminidase A;
       Whereas there is no proven treatment or cure for Tay-Sachs 
     disease and the disease is always fatal in children;
       Whereas the disorder was named after Warren Tay, an 
     ophthalmologist from the United Kingdom, and Bernard Sachs, a 
     neurologist from the United States, both of whom contributed 
     to the discovery of the disease in 1881 and 1887, 
     respectively;
       Whereas Tay-Sachs disease often affects families with no 
     prior history of the disease;
       Whereas approximately 1 in 27 Ashkenazi Jews, 1 in 30 
     Louisianan Cajuns, 1 in 30 French Canadians, 1 in 50 Irish 
     Americans, and 1 in every 250 people are carriers of Tay-
     Sachs disease, which means approximately 1,200,000 Americans 
     are carriers;
       Whereas these unaffected carriers of the disease possess 
     the recessive gene that can trigger the disease in future 
     generations;
       Whereas, if both parents of a child are carriers of Tay-
     Sachs disease, there is a 1 in 4 chance that the child will 
     develop Tay-Sachs disease;
       Whereas a simple and inexpensive blood test can determine 
     if an individual is a carrier of Tay-Sachs disease, and all 
     people in the United States, especially those citizens who 
     are members of high-risk populations, should be screened; and
       Whereas raising awareness of Tay-Sachs disease is the best 
     way to fight this horrific disease: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate designates September 2008 as 
     ``Tay-Sachs Awareness Month''.

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