Surgeon General's New Advisory against Women Drinking while Pregnant Wake Up Call for Pregnant Women
February 23, 2005
For Immediate Release Contact: Adam Litle
(202) 785-4585
WASHINGTON - With the recent update of the 1981 Surgeon General's alcohol advisory against women drinking while pregnant, the call of those fighting for complete abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy is vindicated.
On Monday, February, 21st, 2005, U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona cautioned pregnant women and those women who may become pregnant to avoid alcohol completely throughout their entire pregnancy to keep their fetus free from the harmful effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Such exposure can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation.
"We do not know what, if any, amount of alcohol is safe. But we do know that the risk of a baby being born with any of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders increases with the amount of alcohol a pregnant woman drinks, as does the likely severity of the condition," Dr. Carmona said while speaking at a press conference in San Diego, CA. "And when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her baby. Therefore, it's in the child's best interest for a pregnant woman to simply not drink alcohol."
This message is a wake up call to those health care providers who still inform pregnant women that a moderate amount of alcohol is safe for their developing fetus.
"The reality is that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy," stressed Tom Donaldson, President of The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). "Dr. Carmona's announcement directly supports research from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that prenatal alcohol exposure leads to permanent, life-long damage in approximately 40,000 newborns per year and must be taken seriously if we are to prevent FASD in future generations."
NOFAS advocates for the education of doctors, nurses, allied health professionals on the dangers of prenatal alcohol exposure so that all women are knowledgeable of the risks associated with drinking during pregnancy. NOFAS applauded the statement of the Surgeon General, and urged all organizations and coalitions who care about healthy children and families to join the fight against FASD.
Kathy Mitchell, NOFAS Spokesperson and birth mother of an adult with FAS, said "If I had known the damage my drinking would have done to my daughter I would have gone for treatment much earlier on. The doctors never told me alcohol hurt my baby, and I want to make sure every woman is empowered with that knowledge in order to make the healthiest choice for herself and her child."
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