ALCOHOL AND PREGNANCY What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

FAS is a lifelong yet completely preventable set of physical, mental and neurobehavioral

birth defects associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

My Research

My research will delve into the effects of alcohol on fetuses and into the underlying facts around these effects. I will touch on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other birth defects caused by alcohol. My research is also to find out what type of law is in place concerning women and the consumption of alcohol while pregnant. I will also touch on society's take on women who consume alcohol while pregnant. I am hoping to identify if there is a need for such restrictions and shed light on society’s perspective, while showing the dangers involved in alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

What are Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental

Disorder (ARND)

What are Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) and Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD)? Prenatal alcohol exposure does not always result in FAS—although there is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Most individuals affected by alcohol exposure before birth do not have the characteristic facial abnormalities and growth retardation identified with FAS, yet they have brain and other impairments that are just as significant.

Characteristics

What are the Primary Characteristics of FAS, ARND and ARBD?

Individuals with FAS have a distinct pattern of facial abnormalities, growth deficiency and evidence of central nervous system dysfunction. In addition to mental retardation, individuals with FAS, ARND and ARBD may have other neurological deficits such as poor motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They may also have a complex pattern of behavioral and learning problems, including difficulties with memory, attention and judgment.

Source Ebrahim, S.H.; Diekman, S.T.; Floyd, L.; andDecoufle, P. Comparison of binge drinkingamong pregnant and nonpregnant women, United States, 1991–1995. Am J Obstet Gynecol 180(1 pt. 1):1–7, 1999.

Facial Characteristics of FAS

Allison Gendar, Daily News (New York), October 4, 2003.

Avoidable Birth Defects

His Whole Life Has Been Changed Because His Mother Chose To Drink While Pregnant

Normal Brain FAS Brain

100% Preventable

FASDs are 100% preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol.

Should We Punish Women Who Choose To Continue to Drink ?

Mother or fetus? Where do our obligations lie? Our answer will require a careful balancing of the values of freedom and self-determination, and the value we place on the right to be protected from harm. There are laws through out the United States that protect the unborn child. Are we going to far?

ON THE BOTTLE

This warning label appears on all alcohol bottles

Born Drunk Mom Arrested An upstate woman admitted in court yesterday she has a drinking problem after being

arrested for giving birth to a drunken baby boy.

Stacey Gilligan's son was born with a blood-alcohol level of .18 - twice the legal limit for a drunken-driving arrest.

The 22-year-old woman from the Warren County town of Glens Falls must have knocked back eight to 10 drinks in an hour for her son to have that much alcohol in his system, officials said.

The baby was born drunk Sept. 26. His tiny body shook with tremors as the alcohol was purged from his system.

"An adult would be flat on the floor with that amount of alcohol running through his veins, and this was a tiny baby," said Glens Falls Police Capt. Stanley Wood. "I don't understand how people can do this to their own children."

Child Protective Services took Gilligan's baby from her on Thursday, when the Warren County district attorney charged her with endangering the welfare of a child.

Source Allison Gendar, Daily News (New York), October 4, 2003.

For The Sake of the Baby?

Prevalence of Binge Drinking Among Childbearing Aged Women (ages 18-44)

Info

Approximately 10% of pregnant women (about 1 in 10) reported any alcohol use in the past 30 days.

Approximately 2% of pregnant women (about 1 in 50) engaged in binge drinking or frequent use of alcohol in the past 30 days.*

Among women who might become pregnant (they reported not using any type of birth control):

52.4% said that they wanted to become pregnant 54.9% reported alcohol use 12.4% reported binge drinking In the United States, almost 50% of pregnancies are

unplanned, stressing the importance of educating all women of childbearing age about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy

Binge DrinkingCDC

Surgeon General

The Surgeon General's official advisory warnings against the use of alcohol by pregnant women and women considering pregnancy were released in 1981, 1990 and 1995. In spite of repeated warnings, including federally-mandated warning labels introduced in 1989 (Greenfield, Graves, & Kaskutas, 1999), the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data showed increased rates of alcohol use, binge drinking, and frequent use for 1991 and 1995 among pregnant women, despite stable rates of alcohol use among women of child-bearing age (18-44) (CDC, 1997).

Women Who DrinkCDC

Between 1979 and 1993, the National Birth Defects Monitoring Program (BDMP) developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed an approximately fourfold increase in the rate of FAS from 1/10,000 births to 3.7/10,000 births. The rates jumped to 6.7/10,000 births in 1993 (CDC, 1995). While epidemiological studies show that drinking during pregnancy provides an increased risk for FAS or other effects from fetal exposure, it is difficult to determine an exact dose effect relationship between the level of exposure and the incidence of FAS.

Rates Per 10,000 Births In U.S.

Questionnaire Results

I polled 20 bartenders in Burlington, Winooski and Colchester Vermont

1. I have no problem serving a pregnant patron

1 I have no problem serving a pregnant patron alcohol.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Not Sure Agree Strongly Agree

1 2 3 4 5

12 Strongly Disagreed 5 Disagreed 3 Not Sure

Did Not Serve

2 I have refused to serve pregnant patrons alcohol.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Not Sure Agree Strongly Agree

1 2 3 4 5

3 Strongly Disagreed 2 Disagreed 2 Not sure 4 Agreed 9 Strongly Agreed

What's Next ?

Liability ?

3 I believe that I am liable if I serve a pregnant patron.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Not Sure Agree StronglyAgree

1 2 3 4 5

4 Strongly Disagreed 3 Disagreed 4 Not Sure

2 Agreed 8 Strongly Agreed

?????????

Bosses Approval

4 I believe my supervisor would support my choice either way.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Not Sure Agree Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 5

6 Agreed 14 Strongly Agreed

To Serve or Not To Serve

Opinion

5 I personally do not believe pregnant patrons should consume alcohol.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Not Sure Agree Strongly Agree

1 2 3 4 5

1 Strongly Disagreed 1 Not Sure 6 Agreed 12 Strongly Agreed

My Body My Decision

Conclusion

There is no real conclusion. FAS is 100% preventable but does society have the right to dictate what a women can do with her own body and that of her unborn child as well?

Should we stand by and let children become victims of birth defects that are 100% preventable? Who has the right the mother or the child? Where are the fathers in all this?

Sources

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001909/ 2011

2. https://www.federallegalpublications.com/journal-of-psychiatry-law/201110/jpl-2011-39-03-wartnik-judicial-perspective-issues-impacting-trial-

3. http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/main/publications/articles_and_reports/criminal_prosecutions_against_pregnant_women.php

4. http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/7525/publisher_ID/30/

5. http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/main/publications/articles_and_reports/boy_born_drunk_mom_busted.php

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