Lyn Allison (Victoria, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

9 September 2006 is International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day, and

(ii)

there is no cure for foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) but they are 100 per cent preventable;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

those born with FASD have mild to profound, lifelong disabilities, usually intellectual developmental disorders, and

(ii)

early diagnosis can lead to better outcomes if services and programs are available to support children and families; and

(c)

calls on the Government to:

(i)

promote awareness of the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol through warning labels on all alcohol products,

(ii)

reconsider recommendations in the document, National clinical guidelines for the management of drug use during pregnancy, birth and the early development years of the newborn, in relation to alcohol consumption during pregnancy given the compelling international evidence that mothers who drink even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy could unwittingly harm their unborn children,

(iii)

provide specific resources to help identify and support children who have FASD, and

(iv)

ensure that all newborns are screened for FASD.

Question negatived.