"Last year the Department of Health commissioned the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit to undertake a review of existing national and international evidence on the effects of alcohol on the developing embryo, foetus and child. The principal findings were that there is no consistent evidence that low to moderate consumption of alcohol during pregnancy has any adverse effects although there is some evidence that binge drinking can affect neurodevelopment of the foetus."
This is in no way definitive at all, not even for occasional excess ... but then us 'baby boomers' already knew this, we celebrated our planned and unplanned conceptions with due revelry.
But, "We have strengthened our advice to women to help ensure that no-one underestimates the risk to the developing foetus of drinking above the recommended safe levels. Our advice is simple: avoid alcohol if pregnant or trying to conceive. This advice could also be included on alcohol packaging or labels."
This advice goes beyond 'basis in research' to perpetuation of previously unsubstantiated myth. That this emanates from the Department of Health, a department whose credibility has historically derived from and is based on scientific research, indicates a rather flagrant disregard for this in favour of opinion - a social engineering agenda on the basis that it sounds 'right,' presumably.
Interestingly, when foetal alcohol syndrome was first mooted health workers were actively discussing distances between the eyes of neonates and toddlers and this involved some pretty fine discriminations ... unfortunately at that time most people drank alcohol and many to excess, so an easy relationship to frighten people with.
It is this sort of myth that gains quick and wide dissemination and comes to form one of those accepted truisms, akin to alcoholism being a 'disease.' This is simply an abrogation of responsibility by these departments, an unacceptable arrogance.
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