Thomas Daschle: “Today I am reintroducing two bipartisan bills to help prevent the tragic occurrence of alcohol-related birth defects…”

“Today I am reintroducing two bipartisan bills to help prevent the tragic occurrence of alcohol-related birth defects, including both fetal alcohol syndrome [FAS] and fetal alcohol effects [FAE]. I speak on behalf of all cosponsors when I say we are hopeful we can move these two simple, but important pieces of legislation this year. Recent estimates indicate that up to 12,000 children are born each year in the United States with FAS. Thousands more are born with FAE. It is estimated that the incidence of FAS may be as high as one per 100 in some Native American communities. FAS and FAE are devastating, complex birth defects. Many people fail to realize that FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation. Too many women remain uninformed about the real dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. In fact, at least one recently published popular pregnancy book actually recommends a drink or two to relax later in pregnancy. And, unfortunately, misconceptions about the impact of alcohol intake during pregnancy are not limited to the general public. For many years it was widely, though mistakenly, believed in the medical community that moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy was beneficial. These misperceptions are not only frightening, but life threatening. Children born to women who drink alcohol during pregnancy have a 50 percent higher infant mortality rate than the children of women who abstain.”