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SCR 12: Proclaiming September 9, 2010, as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day.

00 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 12 01 Proclaiming September 9, 2010, as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 WHEREAS fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are a leading cause of preventable and 04 permanent birth defects and mental retardation in the United States; and 05 WHEREAS the birth defects associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders include 06 brain damage, facial deformities, and deficits in growth, learning, memory, and internal organ 07 development; and 08 WHEREAS fetal alcohol spectrum disorders result from ingestion of alcohol by a 09 woman during pregnancy; and 10 WHEREAS Alaska has the highest known incidence of fetal alcohol spectrum 11 disorders in the United States; and 12 WHEREAS fetal alcohol spectrum disorders affect all racial and socioeconomic 13 groups; and 14 WHEREAS, in addition to the personal emotional costs, fetal alcohol spectrum 15 disorders cost taxpayers millions of dollars over an affected individual's lifetime; 16 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature proclaims September 9, 2010,

01 as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day; and be it 02 FURTHER RESOLVED that the people of the state observe Fetal Alcohol Spectrum 03 Disorders Awareness Day with appropriate efforts to promote awareness of the effects of 04 prenatal exposure to alcohol and of the fact that there is no known safe level of alcohol 05 consumption during pregnancy, to increase identification of children with fetal alcohol 06 spectrum disorders, and to improve the lives of those affected by fetal alcohol spectrum 07 disorders.