Ropes provided leadership
By Susan S. Carlson, Former first lady, Founder and president, Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

On behalf of the Minnesota Organization of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, I would like to thank Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes for her leadership in the state Senate and for speaking on behalf of infants, children, and adults living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, a neurological and behavioral disorder caused when a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy.

Through her hard work, support and understanding about this often invisible disability, a proposed 30 percent cut in funding by the current administration was curtailed, and resulted in a reduction of only 1.8 percent.
With this funding, MOFAS was able to continue to provide necessary intervention and family support programs and extend our work providing accessible and consistent diagnostic services to more communities throughout Minnesota.

Fifty thousand Minnesotans struggle with permanent brain damage, learning disabilities, mental health disorders and organ damage because their mothers drank alcohol while they were pregnant. This disability costs Minnesota more than $107.4 million annually, yet it is 100 percent preventable. Nine months of alcohol-free pregnancies save Minnesotans millions of dollars.

With the ongoing leadership of Ropes, we can continue to make a difference in the lives of families living with FASD.

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