Scared as rabbits?

[Bucko]

Tom, you like to stir the pot a bit, me thinks, based on your alcohol and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) statement. This is a hot/touchy subject. I have debated/argued the subject many times.

FAS babies are almost universally born to alcoholics who drink heavily during pregnancy, but also have various nutritional deficits as well. It is not simply an 'alcohol' problem, but anti-alcohol forces would have the public believe that. And to top it all off, only a small percentage of alcoholics have FAS kids. Confronted with overwhelming evidence, they changed their tactics and came up with the term Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE). This is blamed for low birth weight, developmental delay, etc., etc. and is hard to disprove (equally hard to prove). With a country as litigenous as the USA, do you think that ANY doctor would recommend that their pregnant patient consume alcoholic beverages? Not on your life. I present the data to my patients when questioned and let THEM choose. I have several who drink a glass of wine a day while pregnant - normal, healthy kids. I wonder if Leonardo Da Vinci's mother abstained during pregnancy?

Bucko