Spina Bifida is a serious birth defect that occurs when the tissue surrounding the developing spinal cord of a fetus doesn't close properly. Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States. Spina Bifida is part of a group of birth defects called neural tube defects. The neural tube is the embryonic structure that eventually develops into the baby's brain and Spinal cord and the tissues that enclose them. In babies with Spina Bifida, a portion of the neural tube fails to develop or close properly, causing defects in the spinal cord and in the bones of the backbone.