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.