HR0450

LRB095 12227 KXB 36599 r






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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, Birth defects are the leading cause of infant 
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mortality in the United States; and
 
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    WHEREAS, 2,500 babies are born each year in the United 
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States with a neural tube defect such as anencephaly or spina 
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bifida; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Anencephaly is a fatal condition in which a baby 
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is born with a severely underdeveloped brain and skull; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Spina bifida affects the backbone and, sometimes, 
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the spinal cord, and children with the severe form of spina 
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bifida have some degree of leg paralysis and bladder and bowel 
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control problems; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Sufficient amounts of folic acid, a B vitamin, in 
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a woman's diet before and during pregnancy can reduce the risk 
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of neural tube defect; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Studies have shown that up to 70 percent of these 
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cases could be prevented if women consumed at least 400 
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micrograms of folic acid before they become pregnant and during 
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early pregnancy; and
 
 


 






HR0450
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LRB095 12227 KXB 36599 r




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    WHEREAS, In accordance with the United States Public Health 
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Service and Institute of Medicine, the March of Dimes suggests 
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that all women of child bearing age consume a multi-vitamin 
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containing 400 micrograms of folic acid daily as part of a 
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healthy diet; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Although 84 percent of women of childbearing age 
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have heard of folic acid, only 33 percent take a multi-vitamin 
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and only 7 percent know it should be taken before pregnancy; 
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and
 
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    WHEREAS, Studies suggest that folic acid may help prevent 
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some other birth defects, including cleft lip and palate and 
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birth defects involving the heart and limbs and also may help 
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prevent heart disease and stroke; therefore, be it

 

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    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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urge all regional Superintendents of Schools in the State of 
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Illinois to distribute information to schools in their region 
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on the importance of folic acid; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That the Regional Superintendents of Schools 
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distribute information that indicates the March of Dimes, whose 
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website is www.marchofdimes.com, and the Center for Disease 
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Control (CDC), whose website is www.cdc.gov, as resources for 
 


 






HR0450
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LRB095 12227 KXB 36599 r




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free material, literature, and model lesson plans on Folic Acid 
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and proper nutrition; and be it further
 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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delivered to each Regional Superintendent of Schools in the 
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State of Illinois.