No alcohol for women of child bearing age !

So, is there no comeback against false news in the newspapers? There isn't is there

I have googled and I cannot find anything apart from sensational newspaper articles about it.

Whether it's a suggestion or not, I think young women or men are not going to live their lives on the basis that at some stage in the future they might become parents and how many will be aware of the WHO findings anyway! Possibly some will stop drinking once they are planning to become parents. Having said that, no idea how many pregnancies aren't planned, I'm sure many of us on GN would admit to having at least one of those!

Advertising on the harmful effects drinking has on the unborn child would be a good thing , that seemed to work as far as smoking was concerned even without the prohibitive measures that came down the line at a later stage.

Of course they can’t ban! What a ridiculous suggestion! They can advise that’s all!

www.who.int/publications/m/item/global-action-plan-on-alcohol-1st-draft
Here's the link page, i will find the actula quote

Surveys have said that men drinking alcohol before their partner fall pregnant also has a negative effect on their child.’s development.

There was an article on the BBC website yesterday saying that more Australians are going for non-alcoholic drinks, embracing abstinence.

Advice is one thing, getting people (men or women) to follow it is another. I haven't read the report but lots of people these days try to look after their health pre and post conception. I stopped drinking with both my pregnancies but did drink prior to becoming pregnant. However, not drinking during child bearing age would be a bit like a life ban and I doubt many women or men would do that!

Action Area 3 in a 33 page document: "Appropriate attention should be given to prevention of the initiation of drinking among children and adolescents, prevention of drinking among pregnant women and women of childbearing age, and protection of people from pressures to drink, especially in societies with high levels of alcohol consumption where heavy drinkers are encouraged to drink even more."

becomes: WHO want to ban all alcohol for women until the menopause!

I seriously think some journalists are looking for things to do to fill their time.

Blessed be the fruit.

I dare not comment as i am pretty sure i may be banned from GN.

I had the odd glass of wine during my pregnancies....which was, admittedly, a long time ago. I also drank whilst breast feeding. In fact, I was actively encouraged to knock back a glass of stout with my lunch and dinner every day, courtesy of the NHS, whilst in the hospital.
Funny how times change.

I was also told by my female GP when pregnant, 35 years ago, one glass of wine, maybe a couple of times a week was fine, she herself had drank in a limited way when pregnant, but information changes all the time based on research so I doubt whether any GP would say that now.

I think it's a good idea, through advertising, to make prospective parents aware of the effects of alcohol on the unborn child and if planning a pregnancy that some abstinence prior to conception might be something to give serious consideration to....but on the other hand life can be messy and there will be many who will choose not to follow such advice or not be aware even if such campaigns were to become a reality.

PippaZ

When you start talking about women "of childbearing years" it does sound a bit Handmaid's Tale.

That could be from about age 11 to about 50!

Not that 11 year olds should be drinking anyway but many will at age 16 and, if it is throughout childbearing years, that is quite a span.

WHO can't ban anything, they have no legal powers, but I do find "the prevention of drinking among women of childbearing age" definitely patriarchal, especially as there is no mention of similar expectation for men of childbearing age. I could even see the sense if it was aimed at women TTC although again, what about the men?

Callistemon

PippaZ

When you start talking about women "of childbearing years" it does sound a bit Handmaid's Tale.

That could be from about age 11 to about 50!

Not that 11 year olds should be drinking anyway but many will at age 16 and, if it is throughout childbearing years, that is quite a span.

yup....

Men can father children from an early age and as long as they are capable.
I can't see them refraining from alcohol all their lives just in case they may become a parent.

good point Visgirl!
During pregnancy I think there have been studies showing that heavy alcohol consumption is linked to lower birth weight, and possible brain damage of the baby.

Visgirl No alcohol involved in the conception of our two children. We couldn't afford it.

In the past most people were very light drinkers for just that reason. Of course there were exceptions, especially in towns with lots of young single men, but rural pubs were notorious for customers who sat there all evening nursing half a pint of beer because that was all they could afford.

The BPAS has given a comment about the WHO statement, explaining why they feel it’s an attempt by WHO to control women’s rights. I’ve C&P here but the link to the article is underneath.

Commenting on the Draft Global Alcohol Action Plan 2022-2030, Clare Murphy, Chief Executive of BPAS, said:

“It is extremely disturbing to see the World Health Organization risk hard-won women’s rights by attempting to control their bodies and choices in this way. By treating all women – for 40 years of their lives – as little more than vessels, the WHO reduces women to little more than their reproductive capabilities. Currently there is no consensus regarding whether low to mid-level alcohol consumption during pregnancy is actually harmful, so to extend this messaging back into the “pre-pregnant” period, regardless of individual pregnancy intention, is completely absurd.

“In a 37-page document the WHO undervalues and undermines the rights of women to control their bodies. By declaring that a foetus is a person distinct from the pregnant woman – claiming prenatal alcohol exposure is ‘one of the most dramatic manifestations of harm to persons other than drinkers’ - WHO actively ascribes foetuses rights they do not have in law.

“We recognise that alcohol can have serious effects on society as a whole – but at no point does this action plan address its true impact on women. In the UK alone, more than a third of sexual assaults, more than 39% of all violent crimes, and nearly 1 in 5 incidents of domestic abuse are committed under the influence of alcohol. This action plan had the power to address this harm to women – but instead was silent.

“The narrative that women need to be stopped from posing a risk to foetuses – even those which do not exist - is used around the world to surveil and criminalise women making decisions during pregnancy. A global organisation such as WHO should recognise the power that such dangerous messaging about women’s behaviour carries, and should be more alert to the impact of these statements. We urge them to review this document as a matter of urgency.”

www.bpas.org/about-our-charity/press-office/press-releases/bpas-comment-on-the-world-health-organization-s-draft-global-alcohol-action-plan-2022-2030/?fbclid=IwAR1KFJAry52_auO8P-Xmj6Hcz_IvcT67v60S4MjE-2nzPAVrr3qkeVWkKbA

Wonder how Biden's new edict about birthing persons will apply here ?

SueDonim

It’s really about controlling women, I think, and not the well-being of babies.

I completely agree here. Just another bit of misogyny and control.

Alegrias1

International health organisation suggests public health campaign dissuading younger women from drinking.

Controlling women! Sexism! No point in having them!

You don't think it could be part of the drive to discredit the WHO do you? ?

except they really did say it

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I wasn't planning to be pregnant with my first so was not staying off the alcohol. We went away on holiday during the first weeks, before we knew I was pregnant, and being on holiday I drank significantly more than I would otherwise. I remember feeling very woozy after a lunchtime drink on a hot day. Once I knew I was pregnant I cut down, though I drank small amounts throughout - a small glass of diluted wine. After I had my baby, who was completely unharmed by my alcohole consumption, I continued to drink wine diluted as I found I prefered it that way!
Suggesting banning drinking for those of child bearing age is ridiculous as many women choose never to have children and even when women fall pregnant unexpectedly little or no harm is done in most cases. Think about how much drinking goes on underage then magnify that for all the women who'd be affected and you would be criminalising a huge proportion of the population. And think of the effect on the economy if everyone complied - the government would never agree to such a ban!

It does make me wonder about the composition of those in authority at the WHO, in terms of religion. There are many groups throughout the world who ban or discourage members of their religion from drinking.
However I do think that drinking immediately before conception or during pregnancy is to be discouraged, though not everybody is aware that they are about to be pregnant as Visgirl implied!

They used to recommend Guinness for building up your milk supply back in the day. Some happy mummies in those days.