"There are 300,000 babies born deformed every year in this country because of women who are alcoholics while they're carrying those children to term."
Joe Biden on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 in Hanover, N.H.
Biden way off on alcohol-related birth defects
Biden said he wouldn't consider changing the drinking age from 21 to 18 because of the negative effects of alcohol. As evidence, he said 300,000 babies suffer birth defects each year because their mothers are alcoholics.
Problem is, that number is way off. The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome states that about 40,000 children are born each year suffering from Fetal Alchol Spectrum Disorders, which includes birth defects, but also conditions such as learning disabilities or poor motor skills. The group says that number is more than Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome and Muscular Dystrophy combined, but it's still quite a way from 300,000.
As for birth defects alone, the Surgeon General says that alcohol-related birth defects affect between .5 and 2 infants per 1,000 births. That comes to between about 2,100 and 8,300 cases a year, given current birth rates.
Sources: National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, "FASD: What Everyone Should Know," Feb. 16, 2006.
U.S. Surgeon General, Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy, February 2005.
Centers for Disease Control, Births: Preliminary Data for 2005.
Written by: Angie Drobnic Holan
Researched by: Angie Drobnic Holan
Edited by: Scott Montgomery
Articles about this statement:
A Dartmouth numbers game
No, we don’t want to take your money. But we are more than willing to listen if you know of any facts or story ideas for the Truth-O-Meter. truthometer@politifact.com
PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly to help you find the truth in the presidential campaign. Every day, reporters and researchers from the Times and CQ will analyze the candidates' speeches, TV ads and interviews and determine whether the claims are accurate. >> More
