As a flash mob gathers to remind pregnant women about the dangers of alcohol, we ask, do mums-to-be really need to be preached at in this way
A flash mob of ‘pregnant’ women and men froze for nine minutes at Euston Station in London this morning to remind the world that women will have healthier babies if they take a nine month pause from alcohol.
The group staged its silent protest at 9.09am on the 9th of the 9th and was one of nine groups up and down the country, taking a pregnant pause. Campaigners in Edinburgh, Chesterfield, Larbert, Stirling, Swansea, Gwent, Newcastle and Aberdeen also met to remind mothers about the dangers of drinking while pregnant.
The flash mobs want to raise awareness about the alcohol-related brain damage in newborns which is known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD affects one in a hundred infants each year and the events have been organised by the National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – UK (NOFAS-UK)
But do pregnant women need reminding about this? Don't we have enough already to feel guilty about - whether we're eating healthily enough for our unborn baby, taking our folic acid, doing enough exercise but not too much etc etc. Isn't it better to give us tips on how to cut out the booze rather than finger wagging? And how many women really abstain completely from alcohol right up until the birth - probably a whole lot less than let on.
Yes, it's a really important issue and it's terrible when unborn babies suffer, but do we really need to make mums feel more guilty? What do yo think?
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Posted: 24/02/2013 at 01:50
