PUBLIC LAW 102-309 —JUNE 30, 1992 106 STAT. 275 Public Law 102-309 102d Congress Joint Resolution To designate the month of September 1992 as "National Spina Bifida Awareness June 30, 1992 Month". [HJ. Res. 470] Whereas spina bifida is the most frequently occurring and permanently disabling birth defect of newborns, occurring in one of every one thoussuid Uve births in the United States; Whereas between 1980 and 1989, 18,000 children were born with spina bifida in the United States and of that number 13,500 have survived; Whereas spina bifida occurs more often than Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, and poUo combined; Whereas spina bifida is a birth defect in the spined column resulting when the spinal cord fails to close completely during prenatal development; Whereas spina bifida may result in varying degrees of paralysis, loss of sensation in the lower limbs, and bladder and bowel complications, and often is accompsuiied by hydrocephalus; Whereas the cause of spina bifida is not known but the cause appears to be the resiilt of multiple environmental and genetic factors; Whereas although most of the March of Dimes and Easter Seal poster children have spina bifida, many people across this Nation have not heard of the defect and its debilitating consequences for children; Whereas only a few cities in the United States have proper care centers and speciaUzed professionals that can provide the most effective, aggressive treatment for children and adults with spina bifida; and Whereas an increase in the national awareness of the problem of spina bifida may stimulate the interest and concern of the American people, which may lead, in turn, to increased research into the needs of individuals with spina bifida and the prevention of spina bifida: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the month of September 1992 is designated "National Spina Bifida Awareness Month", and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe that month with appropriate ceremonies and activities. Approved June 30, 1992. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—HJ. Res. 470: CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 138 (1992): June 5, considered and passed House. Jiine 11, considered and passed Senate.
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