III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 259 

Designating September 9, 2011, as ‘‘National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum 

Disorders Awareness Day’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011 

Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, and Mr. 

BEGICH) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating September 9, 2011, as ‘‘National Fetal Alcohol 

Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day’’. 

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 disabilVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:32 Sep 09, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR259.ATS SR259

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•SRES 259 ATS 

ities, 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 


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•SRES 259 ATS 

International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates September 9, 2011, as ‘‘National 

3 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day’’; 

4 and 

5 (2) calls upon the people of the United States— 

6 (A) to observe National Fetal Alcohol 

7 Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day with appro8 priate ceremonies— 

9 (i) to promote awareness of the effects 

10 of prenatal exposure to alcohol; 

11 (ii) to increase compassion for individ12 uals affected by prenatal exposure to alco13 hol; 

14 (iii) to minimize the effects of pre15 natal exposure to alcohol; and 

16 (iv) to ensure healthier communities 

17 across the United States; and 

18 (B) to observe a moment of reflection dur19 ing the ninth hour of September 9, 2011, to re20 member that during the 9 months of pregnancy 

21 a woman should not consume alcohol. 

Æ 


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