Denton, TX – The Texas Teratogen Information Service (TTIS) Pregnancy Riskline director and counselors applaud the American Bar Association’s (ABA) new resolution urging attorneys, judges, state, local and specialty bar associations, and law school clinical programs to receive training that will help them identify and respond effectively to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in children and adults. The resolution was passed on the heels of a high profile murder case in CA involving a youth with FAS, and just ahead of International FASD Awareness Day, which is recognized on September 9, 2012.

FASD Awareness Day has been recognized on the ninth day of September every year since 1999. The ninth day of the ninth month was chosen as a reminder for women to abstain from drinking alcohol during the nine months of pregnancy.

“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the leading known cause of intellectual disabilities in children, yet it’s still an under-recognized disorder throughout the world,” said Kenneth Lyons Jones, MD, a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at UC San Diego who was the first doctor to identify Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in 1973. “This resolution will help more people recognize the signs of FAS so that individuals with the disorder receive proper treatment and, hopefully, they will be prevented from crowding our judicial system as repeat offenders,” he added.

The ABA resolution also comes on the heels of a high-profile San Diego CA case where an 11-year old boy accused of murdering his 12-year-old friend was found mentally incompetent to stand trial as a result of FAS. His disorder, previously undiagnosed, is suspected of contributing to his alleged actions. The ABA resolution urges the passage of laws that would treat the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and better assist those struggling with FASD.

Lori Wolfe, Genetic Counselor and program director of the TTIS Pregnancy Riskline points out the overwhelming evidence of more than 30 years of research supporting the conclusion that alcohol can be harmful to the developing baby throughout the entire pregnancy. “It is crucial we continue delivering a message of abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy,” said Wolfe. “FASD is 100% preventable and resolutions such as the ABA’s help to raise awareness of this message,” she added.

TTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line is the TX affiliate of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), a North American non-profit dedicated to providing accurate evidence-based, clinical information to patients and health care professionals about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding. TTIS counselors are available to TX women and health care providers who have questions about alcohol, medications and more during pregnancy or breastfeeding toll-free at (800) 733-4727. Outside of TX, please call OTIS at 866-626-OTIS (6847).

Media Contact Lori Wolfe, lwolfe@unt.edu. Interviews in Spanish can also be arranged.