PRINTER'S NO. 3276
No. 435 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY E. Z. TAYLOR, DAILEY, TRUE, ARMSTRONG, BAKER,
BARD, BARRAR, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF,
BROWNE, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPABIANCA, CHADWICK, CIVERA, CLARK,
CLYMER, L. I. COHEN, M. COHEN, CORRIGAN, COY, CURRY, DALEY,
DALLY, DeLUCA, DEMPSEY, DeWEESE, DONATUCCI, FAIRCHILD, FEESE,
FICHTER, FLICK, FORCIER, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE, GIGLIOTTI,
GRUCELA, HALUSKA, HARHAI, HARHART, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS,
HUTCHINSON, JOSEPHS, KENNEY, KIRKLAND, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER,
LEH, LESCOVITZ, LUCYK, MAITLAND, MAJOR, MANN, MARSICO,
MASLAND, McCALL, McNAUGHTON, MELIO, R. MILLER, S. MILLER,
MYERS, O'BRIEN, ORIE, PESCI, PETRONE, PIPPY, PISTELLA,
PLATTS, RAMOS, RAYMOND, READSHAW, ROBERTS, ROBINSON, ROSS,
RUBLEY, SANTONI, SATHER, SAYLOR, SCHRODER, SCHULER,
SCRIMENTI, SEYFERT, SHANER, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STABACK,
STURLA, J. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TIGUE, TRAVAGLIO, TULLI,
VAN HORNE, WALKO, WILLIAMS, WILT, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD,
YUDICHAK, ZIMMERMAN AND ZUG, APRIL 3, 2000
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 3, 2000
A RESOLUTION
1 Recognizing the month of May 2000 as "Healthy Babies Month" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, The March of Dimes has declared May 2000 to be
4 "Healthy Babies Month" in order to educate men and women of
5 childbearing age on the importance of preconception and prenatal
6 care, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle in ensuring a positive
7 birth outcome; and
8 WHEREAS, The most recently published report on infant deaths
9 indicates that, of the 1,145 infant deaths reported in
10 Pennsylvania, 260 or 23% were due to birth defects; and
1 WHEREAS, In 1998 the March of Dimes has successfully
2 advocated for the enactment of Federal legislation to establish
3 research and surveillance programs to prevent the tragic
4 incidence of birth defects, a critical step in reducing the
5 impact of birth defects on our nation's public health; and
6 WHEREAS, Although birth defects strike in a number of ways
7 and every family is vulnerable, much has been learned in recent
8 years about reducing the risks of known causes of physical and
9 mental damage during pregnancy; and
10 WHEREAS, Early, regular preconception and prenatal care is a
11 pregnant woman's first line of defense for protecting her baby;
12 and
13 WHEREAS, If problems arise and are detected early in
14 pregnancy, they are more likely to respond to treatment; and
15 WHEREAS, Today's women can benefit from new knowledge, new
16 skills and new technology to prepare for and monitor a healthy
17 pregnancy and diagnose and treat high-risk problems; and
18 WHEREAS, Birth defects surveillance and research has
19 determined that folic acid, a B vitamin, can reduce a woman's
20 risk of having a child born with a neural tube defect such as
21 spina bifida by up to 70% if taken BEFORE she becomes pregnant
22 and during the early weeks of her pregnancy; and
23 WHEREAS, Folic acid can be found in most multivitamin
24 supplements and certain foods such as fortified breakfast
25 cereals; and
26 WHEREAS, Folic acid may also decrease a woman's risks of
27 developing heart diseases, stroke, colon cancer and precancerous
28 lesions of the cervix; and
29 WHEREAS, Other recommendations for a healthy pregnancy
30 include preventing infections such as rubella, not using
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1 prescription or over-the-counter medications without approval of
2 a doctor, getting plenty of rest and exercise and avoiding
3 smoking, alcohol and illicit substances; therefore be it
4 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
5 month of May 2000 as "Healthy Babies Month" in Pennsylvania and
6 urge mother and prospective mother to contact the March of Dimes
7 and allied organizations for literature on how to prepare
8 herself before conception and during pregnancy.
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