Foetal Alcoholism

[Gordonb]

They could only be used to punish the mother. They wouldn't stop the damaged child from being born and needing assistance out of public funds.

 

True, but if the mother was perceived as anti-social and also received some form of punishment it might have a greater effect on her peers.

Equally education should be the key but I seem to think one of the mothers on tonights article had two children both mentally disabled. She was an alcoholic. It is perhaps people like this that my original post was aimed at.

[Bonzo77]

Women who are addicted to alcohol may not be able to stop drinking when pregnant, irrelevant of what information or learning they may have though, and even if they were taken by force into some form of detention centre for the duration of the pregnancy then either the damage to the foetus could be already present from very early gestational alcohol drinking, or the acute withdrawal from alcohol could cause further problems for the poor baby.

 

As said by HN, women who drink too much during pregnancy are usually picked up later in pregnancy or even after the birth of their babies, which still means that the children are going to be born.

 

I'm not talking about educating young mothers to be. I'm talking about making sure that the next generation is more clued up on the subject.

[Jessica23]

True, but if the mother was perceived as anti-social and also received some form of punishment it might have a greater effect on her peers.

Equally education should be the key but I seem to think one of the mothers on tonights article had two children both mentally disabled. She was an alcoholic. It is perhaps people like this that my original post was aimed at.

 

Women who drink to excess when pregnant are already perceived as anti-social. As are women who smoke when pregnant.

[Bonzo77]

Women who drink to excess when pregnant are already perceived as anti-social. As are women who smoke when pregnant.

 

You wouldn't believe the number of women that were smoking when me and the Mrs were at the hospital having our young un. More than half of the women.

[Jessica23]

You wouldn't believe the number of women that were smoking when me and the Mrs were at the hospital having our young un. More than half of the women.

 

Yep, and didn't you think that was disgusting?

[Gordonb]

Women who drink to excess when pregnant are already perceived as anti-social. As are women who smoke when pregnant.

 

Agree with your comment but suspect that they might not be seen that way by their peers.

[Bonzo77]

Yep, and didn't you think that was disgusting?

 

NOt really. Stopping smoking when pregnant can cause the mother stress. That stress anc cause more dammage to the baby than the smoking.

[Jessica23]

I tend to think that there's enough policing of pregnant women as it stands without trying to put in place legislation that would just enforce punitive measures that don't actually help the child, as medusa has said above.

 

I read somewhere about a pregnant woman who went into Starbucks for a coffee and was asked by the barista, 'Don't you mean decaff?' Infuriating.

 

If education isn't enough, and apparently it isn't for some women, then that's their choice and the NHS can deal with it, just like it deals with all the bad choices non-pregnant people make that have a massive impact on public health.

[Bonzo77]

I tend to think that there's enough policing of pregnant women as it stands without trying to put in place legislation that would just enforce punitive measures that don't actually help the child, as medusa has said above.

 

I read somewhere about a pregnant woman who went into Starbucks for a coffee and was asked by the barista, 'Don't you mean decaff?' Infuriating.

 

If education isn't enough, and apparently it isn't for some women, then that's their choice and the NHS can deal with it, just like it deals with all the bad choices non-pregnant people make that have a massive impact on public health.

 

People go WAY over the top with smoking. I was told that I wasn't alowed to go near my baby for at least 1hr after I had a cigarette.

 

I understand that the smell would still be on my breth, but a whole hour?? Whats that all about?

 

How come none of these so called risks used to exist 20 years ago?

[Rupert_Baehr]

All alcoholic beverages offered for sale in containers in the US are required to bear a label warning of foetal alcohol syndrome.

 

The label is known as 'the Jack Daniels label because the JD company successfully petitioned Congress to require it to be applied to alcohol containers after they were (successfully) sued by a lady whose baby had been born without a brain. (The child had a cerebral cortex and managed to breathe for a few minutes), but that was it.)

 

The mother (who claimed she had drunk a bottle of JD every day [and may have under-estimated her habit]) claimed that JD were liable because she 'did not realise' that a bottle a day might be harmful.

 

She won the case. JD got the law changed so every container must bear the message.

 

I'm waiting to see the law changed to require people who are that stupid to be sterilised.

 

It won't happen.

 

It must be somebody else's fault.