Telling pregnant women not to drink is sexist, say academics
ADVISING women not to drink when pregnant is “sexist” and causes “needless anxiety”, senior academics have said.
Pregnancy charities and researchers have called for a change to the “alarmist” government guidelines, which warn expectant mothers to avoid alcohol completely.
They say the policy has no basis in evidence and ends up “stigmatising” pregnant women and unintentionally promoting hostility to those seen drinking in public.
Studies have shown that consistent heavy drinking during pregnancy can result in foetal alcohol syndrome, which can cause physical developmental and learning difficulties.
However, there is not robust evidence to show that light to moderate drinking, or even one-off episodes of binge drinking, cause any long-term damage.
Experts at the University of Kent and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) are claiming that public policy towards pregnant women has “gone down an overtly precautionary route” and that the Government “needs to be honest” about the evidence.
But last night professional bodies defended the current position.
Last year the Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, was accused of scaremongering when she issued updated advice on alcohol consumption for all adults, reducing the recommended maximum weekly intake from 21 to 14 units for men, and advising pregnant women not to drink alcohol at all. The previous guidelines advised expecting women to avoid alcohol, but noted that if they did choose to drink, they should not consume more than two units once or twice a week.
Dr Ellie Lee, director of the Centre of Parenting Culture Studies at the University of Kent, said the “exclusion of women from an ordinary activity on the basis of a precaution” was sexist.
“Public discourse has become very hostile and there is now an assumption that a pregnant woman holding a glass of wine is doing something absolutely wrong,” she said.
“Women are being accosted, spoken to and stared at in public.”
She said it was impossible to establish the safe level of exposure to alcohol during pregnancy.
BPAS is also campaigning for a change in the tone of the advice on the basis that it may be needlessly scaring women into aborting pregnancies because of fears that a few heavy nights out will have caused the foetus serious harm.
The Department of Health refused to comment on the BPAS criticism, however a spokesman for the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) said it was “best to avoid alcohol”.
“This advice is not about policing pregnant women’s behaviour, it is about giving them unbiased information and enabling them to make the choice that is right for them,” said Janet Fyle, RCM professional policy adviser.