It is a well-known fact that alcohol can cause harm to a woman’s baby. But for some women, it’s not so clear whether or not they should drink while pregnant. So what’s the best way to inform them?
Fortunately, the government has been taking steps to help women better understand how to stay safe. For instance, they are encouraging health services to work with pregnant women and their families. In addition, they are educating the community about the dangers of drinking while pregnant.
However, the alcohol industry has not been so accommodating. Despite their best efforts, only a small percentage of the sector has voluntarily adopted pregnancy warnings on their products.
The industry argued that it was not the right time to introduce these warnings. Their opposition was fueled by concerns that the new labels would mislead consumers and that the new warnings would not meet their intended purpose.
They argued that the message was too simplistic and too expensive. While their arguments were not directly addressed, the research did find that the new warnings have a longer turn-over period than the old ones.
One of the first nations to issue a pregnancy advice poster was Brazil. The country saw a sharp increase in rare birth defects in the run up to the outbreak of a highly contagious virus.
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also advised pregnant women to avoid travel to areas where the Zika virus is prevalent.