[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13] [Senate] [Page 18005] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]NATIONAL FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS AWARENESS DAY The resolution (S. Res. 647) designating September 9, 2008, as ``National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day'' was agreed to. The preamble was agreed to. The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows: S. Res. 647 Whereas the term ``fetal alcohol spectrum disorders'' includes a broader range of conditions 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 $5,400,000,000 in 2003 and it is estimated that each individual with fetal alcohol syndrome will cost taxpayers of the United States between $1,500,000 and $3,000,000 in his or her lifetime; Whereas, in February 1999, a small group of parents of children who suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders came together with the hope that in 1 magic moment the world could be made aware of the devastating consequences of alcohol consumption during pregnancy; 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, 2008, 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 further effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol; and (iv) to ensure healthier communities across the United States; and (B) to observe a moment of reflection on the ninth hour of September 9, 2008, to remember that during the 9 months of pregnancy a woman should not consume alcohol. ____________________