LETTERS; PREVENTION NEEDED TO FIGHT BIRGH DEFECTS

To the editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to respond to concerns raised by one of your readers in the Aug. 13 Speak Out regarding my introduction of the Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999.

While the caller made some valid points, I do not believe that the intent of my legislation was made clear. During pregnancy, folic acid plays an important role in the formation of the neural tube, the part of the developing baby that becomes the brain and spinal cord. When the neural tube does not close properly, a baby is born with a very serious birth defect called neural tube defect. Spina bifida and anencephaly are two common NTDs, and about 2,500 babies are born each year in the United States with an NTD. In 1991, research proved that the B vitamin folic acid could prevent these types of defects, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that if all American women consumed 400 micrograms of the B vitamin folic acid each day, 50 to 70 percent of all cases of spina bifida and anencephaly would be prevented.

However, this scientific breakthrough has not been translated into a reduction in NTDs, because millions of women are not aware of the role of folic acid in preventing NTDs. While public awareness is improving, a majority of women are uninformed about the benefits of folic acid, and they are not consuming the recommended daily amount. According to a March of Dimes national survey conducted by the Gallup Organization, only 32 percent of women of childbearing age reported taking a multivitamin with folic acid on a daily basis.

Prevention programs offer the opportunity to link the advances of research and scientific knowledge to individuals and families. For every dollar we invest in public outreach and education programs, we are saving dozens more by preventing unhealthy births. The costs associated with caring for a child who suffers from a birth defect include extensive, long-term health care, special education needs and emotional hardship on the family. If we can prevent a potential defective birth simply by educating women on how to care for themselves while pregnant, then the benefits certainly outweigh the costs.

Before dismissing the importance of this legislation, please consider the following: Every day in American, 18 babies will die as the result of a birth defect. Each day, 415 babies are born to mothers who started prenatal care in the third trimester or who received no prenatal care at all. Every 3 1/2 minutes a baby is born with a birth defect. Birth defects are the leading cause of infant mortality. More than 28,000 infants died in the United States before their first birthday in 1996, an infant mortality rate of 7.3 per 1,000 live births. The U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than that in 24 other nations.

According to the National March of Dimes Birth Defect Foundation, only 16 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age know that folic acid can prevent birth defects.

The Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act of 1999, of which I am an original co-sponsor, authorizes a national folic acid education campaign designed to help teach women about the importance of folic acid in preventing birth defects of the brain and spinal column. This bill is one of three bills that I have helped introduce over the past several months in an effort to improve both women's and children's health care in the United States. It builds upon the 105th Congress' Birth Defects Prevention Act. This bill is a positive bipartisan vehicle for making infant health a top national priority and is supported by over 109 co-sponsors. Furthermore, the bill addresses the top legislative priority of the National March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.

My other bills, the Health Kids 2000 Act and the Safe Motherhood Monitoring and Prevention Research Act, also seek to strengthen maternal and infant health care in our nation. Protecting the well-being of our children and our expectant mothers shouldn't be classified as a "liberal" priority. One of the greatest challenges facing our nation today is in assuring quality health care for pregnant women and appropriate pediatric care for infants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published a report that indicated that neither the maternal nor infant mortality rates for the United States has declined over 15 years. The report specifically outlines goals for improving maternal and infant health, including an increase in federal funding for prevention and outreach activities. We need to invest in outreach activities and extend prevention programs in areas of our country where health care is not always readily available, especially in rural areas that lack adequate medical resources. I can't think of many better ways to invest federal money than in improving maternal and infant health, and I believe the Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act is an important step in the right direction toward making maternal and infant health a top national priority.

U.S. REP. JO ANN EMERSON

8th District

Washington, D.C.