What is New Jersey Doing About FAS?
New Jersey has pursued excellence in the identification and treatment of FAS since the early 1980’s, with some efforts continuing across the years and others running for shorter intervals. Before 1981, there was relatively little discussion of FAS across the state, with the first statewide conference on FAS held in 1982 for perinatal professionals. In 1983, the Governor’s Task Force on Alcoholism established the New Jersey Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and this task force then initiated a wide range of activities to promote prevention and education in both the public and private sectors. These outreach activities substantially increased public awareness of the dangers of consuming alcohol during pregnancy and culminated in the • 1993 Passage of Public Law 1993 Chapter 43 which required the public posting of informational materials indicating the danger of drinking during pregnancy. • 1993 FAS for New Jersey Family Court Judges Initiative which organized the FAS teen defendant p
