On the morning on Sept. 9, bells will chime throughout the city at area churches to bring awareness to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
“Are you aware that 2 to 5% of babies born in the US are affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?” questioned Carolyn Poer. “It has been compared to the numbers of those affected by the Zika virus caused by mosquitoes. However, FASD is preventable. Perhaps the young mother does not know she is pregnant and will continue to use the harmful product of alcohol. There is no small amount of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy. How heartbreaking to have a child with FASD, knowing that there is no cure and the effects will last a lifetime. It is not worth the risk. This affects the central nervous system, structural system, growth, and functional system.”
Carolyn Poer, a Christian, a mother, a grandmother, and friend to many children, feels a passion for preventing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Appearance and behavior disorders are evidence of FASD. Medical authorities recommend no alcohol during pregnancy or while trying to become pregnant. The lifetime cost per child with FAS in 2002 was $2,000,000.
“That has certainly increased by our current 2017. Not only is this so sad for families and children, but the cost to our nation is great and FASD can be prevented; consider the even greater emotional cost to the family,” Poer said.
The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union strives to educate of this problem by asking churches, businesses, or anyone who has a bell to ring it for one minute on Sept. 9 at 9:09 a.m. and 9:09 p.m. to remind the public of the nine months of pregnancy when the precious baby is developing.
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