Most people, if asked, will say that they believe in fairness. They may look at a situation in the news and say, “that’s not fair!” They may stand up for the homeless guy who gets kicked out of the shelter or the dog that gets kicked and ends up with two broken ribs. They may take the side of the kid whose lunch gets snatched by a bully, and even offer to intervene if they saw someone beating a girl on the side of the road.
So, let’s talk about fairness. When a woman – even a very young woman – is pregnant, everything she ingests into her body affects the baby. It’s a huge responsibility to realize that not eating the best foods might make a difference in the baby’s growth and health, and smoking may cause the baby to be born prematurely, which is always more dangerous. And then there’s alcohol. Drinking leads to fetal alcohol syndrome, referred to as FAS.
If a pregnant woman drinks, her baby will be born and live his entire life with FAS. His intellect may not be as good. He may be born with abnormal facial features like a smooth ridge between his nose and upper lip. His head maybe very small and he may be very short. He may be uncoordinated and/or hyperactive. He may have trouble learning math, paying attention in school, or even in speaking. His reasoning skills may be poor and he might even have trouble with sleeping and sucking as a baby, or vision and hearing, or even trouble with his heart, kidneys, or bones. What part of him is not possibly affected?
A story from October 20, 2011 shows that FAS is a growing problem here in West Virginia. 20% - one out of every five babies born has been exposed to either alcohol or drugs and has problems. How fair is that?
The problem continues in some cases due to selfishness, but in others due to lack of knowledge of the extent of the harm that is done by “a little bit of drinking.” It doesn’t help either that the occasion television newscast quotes some local doctor as saying that one drink a day won’t hurt. But even a small amount of alcohol can turn to poison for the child within and affect that growing child. The March of Dimes recommends pregnant women do not drink any alcohol, including beer, wine, wine coolers and liquor throughout their pregnancy and while nursing. They need to be careful if they think there’s a possibility that they could get pregnant also.
