...Alcohol is the leading known preventable cause of mental and physical birth defects in the United States (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Revisited). When a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy she risks giving birth to a child who will have mental and physical deficiencies for their entire life. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was first described and published in medical literature in 1968. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a physical abnormality most recognized in the facial features and reduced size of newborns it can also lead to behavior problems and cognition. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is caused by mothers drinking heavy during pregnancy. The current recommendation of the US Surgeon General is not to drink alcohol at all during pregnancy (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). According to the book Fetal Alcohol Syndrome one in every 750 infants are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome each year in the United States. An additional 40,000 babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Effects. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome occurs when alcohol crosses the placental barrier and it stunts fetal growth or weight, creates distinctive facial stigmata, damage neurons and brain structures, and causes other physical, mental, or behavioral problems. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is caused by prenatal exposure to high level of alcohol. Many people think of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome as a drunken baby or a baby addicted to alcohol but Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is not either. According to the book Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS...
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...Should it be illegal for a pregnant woman to consume alcohol? Consider the legal and health ramifications of your answer. Allow me to start by saying, that I am unequivocally against drinking alcohol while pregnant. There is no reason for a woman who is foreseeing having a newborn child or already pregnant to drink. Drinking while pregnant can cause many different defects to an unborn baby. Talking from an utilitarian point of view, I would say that she is doing harm to an anticipated individual. Many children have develop Fetal Alcohol Syndrome due to mothers exposing their unborn child to frequent alcohol abuse. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a condition that results from alcohol exposure during pregnancy. Problems that may be caused by fetal alcohol syndrome include physical deformities, mental retardation, learning disorders, vision difficulties and behavioral problems. Despite the fact that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is know to cause many of these physical and metal issues on the fetus, the Department of Health alongside of Royal College and Obstetricians and Gynecologist, make conflicting proposals on the number of liquor units that are ok for pregnant ladies. A few specialists recommend that you totally maintain a distance from liquor when you're expecting; others say that light drinking is unrealistic to hurt your child. The issue with drinking liquor during pregnancy is that there is no sum that has been proven to be completely safe. For that reason I would say if you...
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...English 1A February 4, 2013 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome The lifestyle pregnant women live at time affect the life of unborn infant. Most women think that pregnancy is all about bringing life into the world. They forget that it take a lot to keep the unborn child safe by taking precaution in the dietary habits to prevent the destruction or inhibition of life. Some pregnant women continue on their drinking and drug abuse binge right throughout their pregnancy. They do not think ahead to the inexplicable damage that it could do to their fetus. What they do not know is that when women drinks, while pregnant it could cause damage, and pose problems not only to herself, but also to the fetus that she is carrying. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has been the leading cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States today. In knowing how Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can be prevented, what the symptoms are, and who and what make up the risk factors fetal alcohol syndrome can be better understood. Dr. Osaseri (Family doctor), (Gardena Medical Center) stated that “Fetal alcohol syndrome is refers to a newborn who manifests signs, either physically or behaviorally, that are indicative of significant exposure to alcohol during the course of the pregnancy”. A birth defect occurs as a result abuse of alcohol. Some mother don’t consider the health of their unborn child when consumption alcohol during pregnancy; they forget that whatsoever they eat that the unborn child eats the same...
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...Alcohol and Drugs While Pregnant!! · Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause a wide range of physical and mental birth defects. The term “fetal alcohol spectrum disorders” (FASDs) is used to describe the many problems associated with exposure to alcohol before birth. Each year in the United States, up to 40,000 babies are born with FASDs · Although many women are aware that heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause birth defects, many do not realize that moderate or even light drinking also may harm the fetus. In fact, no level of alcohol use during pregnancy has been proven safe. · When a pregnant woman drinks, alcohol passes through the placenta to her fetus. In the fetus’s immature body, alcohol is broken down much more slowly than in an adult's body. As a result, the alcohol level of the baby's blood can be higher and remain elevated longer than the level in the mother's blood. This sometimes causes the baby to suffer lifelong damage. · The March of dimes, helps baby that go through FASD’s. They do marches to help make money and also some other what some baby go through, teen pregnancy is the highest when it come is alcohol and drugs while pregnant. The is so many was to stop there the march of dimes is one way. Help baby and stop the drinking and drug use while pregnant. · Teen pregnancy is the highest rate of drinking alcohol and doing drugs use, Teens if you need help go to your doctor and talk to him or her. Or talk to someone in your family.. ...
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...Women who are pregnant or are having sexual intercourse without the proper protection are advised not to drink alcohol. Drinking while pregnant can cause many problems to the fetus, involving the heart, the face, the brain and organs; even worse, drinking while pregnant increases the risks of having a miscarriage or delivering a premature child. While pregnant the fetus is very vulnerable to many toxins, such as alcohol, and drugs, so when the mother drinks alcohol, so does the fetus, since blood carries alcohol in the fetus bloodstream. At five weeks the fetus begins to form the brain, which then starts to grow rapidly, this is a crucial time for mothers to nourish their bodies with many proteins and keep away from dangerous toxins. One of the most probable results of drinking while pregnant is the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has been linked to low I.Q. in children. Over the years there has been many studies to determine if a child’s I.Q. if affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Jones and Smith first introduced Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in the United States in 1973, Jones and Smith described FAS as a “distinctive set of facial anomalies in children whose mothers drank heavily during pregnancy, accompanied by prenatal and/or postnatal growth retardation and cognitive/behavioral problems” (Burden). Children who suffer from FAS commonly have face abnormalities, which may or may not include: flat mid-face, short nose, low nasal bridge, thin lips, short...
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...The Liquid drug! Should we consider alcohol a schedule 1 drug? Alcohol was not always legal and will not always be legal and for some very good reasons too. It literally kills you and causes you to be stupid and make really dumb decisions. There are many different reasons why alcohol should be considered a schedule 1 drug Including but not limited to, the effects it has on your body, death rate, gateway to worse things and finally compared to other drugs Alcohol affects multiple parts of your body by damaging everything from your heart, brain, liver, pancreas, and can also lead to cancer in your mouth, throat, liver, and breast (NIAAA n.d. ). In another study done by The National Institute on Alcohol abuse and alcoholism it states that drinking alcohol kills your brain cells. The article also states that you have a fixed number of brain cells and you don't regain them once they're gone. It also kills your liver. Liver disease the is the leading health problem that has to deal with alcohol. 55% of drinkers end up with somthing wrong with their livers. Liver...
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...Obstetrics and Gynecology, expectant women should not drink any form of alcohol. Pregnant women who think they have consumed any type of alcohol should be aware of the serious and negative effects of alcohol on the development of the baby (fetus). In the United States, prenatal exposure to alcohol is the most common cause of birth defects. Exposure to alcohol during pregnancy causes damage to the brain and affects the child's behavior; these effects can completely be prevented (Hawkins, Catallano, & Miller, 2011). When an expectant mother drinks alcohol, it goes through the placenta to the fetus via the bloodstream. The fetus’ liver is not yet fully formed, so it cannot metabolize the alcohol quickly enough. At this stage, the baby (fetus) has a high blood alcohol concentration. It therefore is deficient of oxygen and the nutrients needed for its brain and organs to grow properly. White matter in the brain, which is responsible for speeding up the processing of information, is sensitive to alcohol affecting it when the mother drinks while pregnant. Timing is one more medical factor in the development of fetal alcohol syndrome. A baby’s facial features are formed during weeks six to nine of pregnancy. Scientific evidence shows that mothers who drink during this three-week window are more likely to have babies with the facial deformities associated with fetal alcohol syndrome. Damage to the baby’s organs through drinking is most likely to happen in the first three months. Children with...
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...Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Allanda Smith COM/156 Neil Conway 7/14/2013 Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a mental and physical defect that forms in the fetus in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. FAS is caused when a pregnant mother drinks alcohol, and it is passed the unborn child through the placenta. Because baby gets all of its nutrition from mother whatever she intakes goes to the baby. FAS can cause a variety of symptoms, stunting fetal a, growth, stunting weight gain of fetus, distinctive facial stigmata, damage’s brain structure and also affect the fetuses’ central nervous system. FAS is said to have caused most mental retardation cases in the western world. FAS effect’s not only the baby but also the parents and family of the baby. They are left to raise a child with special needs because of the decision to drink while carrying a child. Alcohol has a negative effect on anyone who consumes it but for females to drink during pregnancy. Every year in the United States 1 in every 750 babies are born with a pattern of developmental, physical and functional problems, at the same time the other 40,000 are born with fetal alcohol affects. In the United Sates about 50% of pregnancies were unplanned according to a survey taken in by the Center for Disease Control...
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...drank alcohol while pregnant. Of those, 66% reported drinking in the first trimester and 54% reported drinking in the third trimester. 1 in every 750 infants is born with symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, while another 40,000 are born with Fetal Alcohol Effects also known as FAE. The research regarding FAS dates back to 1973. From 1973-1978, 245 cases of FAS were reported. The average cost to take care of a child with FAS is around 800,000. (Armstrong, Elizabeth M. Conceiving Risk, Bearing Responsibility: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the Diagnosis of Moral Disorder: Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University, 2003.) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a mental and physical defect that a fetus can suffer in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. FAS was named in the United States in 1973 by two dysmorpholosgists, Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones and Dr. David Weyhe Smith of the University of Washington Medical School in Seattle. The article identifying FAS was first published in 1973, in the British Medical Journal, The Lancet. The two doctors helped to define the morphological defects and developmental delays that can affect children born to alcoholic mothers. These observations include prenatal and postnatal deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and damage to the brain that can cause learning, behavior, and cognitive abnormalities. FAS occurs when a pregnant mother consumes alcohol. The alcohol enters the blood stream and crosses the placenta. The alcohol could...
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...Final Essay Assignment - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Who has the rights? Sheila Bird COR3100 Critical Thinking and Writing (Section 2) John F. Kennedy University Summer 2014 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Who Has The Rights? Who has the rights when an unborn child is involved, mother or child? Can an unborn child be protected from his/her mother? Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [FAS] raises these questions that so far, have not been addressed. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is considered to be the most serious consequence of a mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy and is considered the #1 cause of mental retardation in the United States, and it is one that is entirely preventable. FAS was first reported in France in 1968 and noticed/discussed in the United States by Jones and Smith in 1973. Jones and Smith would identify distinctive facial features in children who were exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. Some of these facial features are: short eyelid openings, flat midface, thin upper lip and a flat or smooth grove between nose and upper lip. The children can also show growth retardation and significant cognitive and/or behavioral problems/issues. In the United States, FAS/Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder [FASD] occurs in about 10 per 1,000 live births or 40,000 babies per year. FAS is a lifelong condition that is not curable and has serious lifelong consequences. Unfortunately, there is no known limit on the amount of alcohol a mother can safely consume, that will not cause...
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...Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Chapman University EDUU 606 January 6, 2010 Over use of alcohol is a growing social problem in our society. Alcohol has a long history of uses, during the early 1930’s alcohol consumption reached an all time high. In the 1980’s consumption of alcohol by adults leveled off; and in the 1990’s there was a decline in the number of adult’s consuming alcohol. Even though consumption in adults has leveled off and declined, there continues to be a growing concern over women who consume alcohol during pregnancy, its affects on the nervous system, and the unborn fetus. In this research I will provide you with an overview on the history and production of alcohol, the effects on the body and the damages that could occur to unborn fetus, demographics of those affected by alcohol. How the alcohol is transmitted from the mother to the unborn fetus, parts of the brain disrupted in development, and the impact it has on learning, as well as the implications and application to the classroom. It does not appear; that most people have a clear understanding of dangers of alcohol. Ethanol is a very addictive drug, which takes many, lives each year. Alcohol lowers ones ability to think rationally. People who consume alcohol lack good judgment because it often causes them to do things they normally wouldn’t when their sober. Alcohol has a major effect on ones overall...
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...City University The Effects of Maternal Substance Abuse on Infants Substance abuse is a topic that is encountered in our world everyday. Drinking and doing drugs are recreational activities that many people choose to participate in on a regular basis. What most people do not understand is that if you drink and do drugs while pregnant, then the fetus is essentially drinking and doing drugs as well. This is because the majority of anything the mother injests crosses the placental and hematoencephalic barrier with out being metabolised first which in turn affects, primarily, the central nervous system of the unborn fetus (Kassada, Marcon, Pagliarini, Rossi,...
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...Social Issue: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome p.427 The third most common cause of mental retardation in babies born in most of North America (Canada and the United States) is fetal alcohol syndrome. This illness is a result of alcohol and other harmful substances moving across the placenta. The crossing of the placenta results in the blood of the fetus being polluted by the alcohol. The placenta, unfortunately, is a selective membrane preventing only the mother’s blood from entering the blood of the fetus and not the harmful or potentially dangerous materials. This paper will contemplate whether pregnant women should refrain from consuming alcohol until their pregnancy is over. There are many reasons to support the elimination of alcohol from the diet of a pregnant woman the most dominant being the endangerment of the health of the fetus. Therefore, some believe blood test should be mandatory for all pregnant women to detect the presence of alcohol. In addition, the responsibility of the mother is exceedingly questionable because if she is willing to risk the health of the child prior to birth, if she has the patience and perseverance to care for the child after birth. Danger to the fetus is not the only concern in this position, as studies have shown the increase of the chances of cancer as well as a variety of other issues in almost all parts of the body as well as cardiovascular problems possibly leading to a double death of the mother and child. This double death may also be...
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...Should the Drinking Age Be Lowered? The drinking age in the United States is as low as it could possibly be, it should not be lowered it is as dangerous as it is already that there are more fatal car crashes due to the alcohol levels of drivers behind the wheel. I believe the drinking age needs to be higher. Alcohol has always played different roles in different situations but the drinking age is a protection against ourselves. The drinking age should not be lowered because it is causing harm to the society and kids, not only does alcohol cause harm but it can also be a trigger to sources of abuse to someone or something. The 1970’s was the first time the drinking age was considered to be moved up from 18 to 21 that today is currently saving lives day by day. Lowering the age can increase the death rate at ages from 18 to 20 years of age either be killed or injured. In this day and age there are not only adults drinking there are adolescents that are taking in the toxicants not knowing at an early age there is even more damage to progress and grow over time to harm the body. Based on a recent study there are 10.1 million underage drinkers in the United States 39 percent of them are 8th graders, 58 percent of them are 10th graders, 72 percent of...
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...Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Table of Contents Table of contents…………………………………………………………… | 2 | Introduction………………………………………………………………… | 3 | Definition of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)…………………………….. | 3 | Characteristics of FAS……………………………………………………… | 4 | Affect of FAS on babies……………………………………………………. | 5 | Affect of alcohol on the brain……………………………………………… | 6 | The role the South African context has played in FAS…………………….| 7 | Conclusion………………………………………………………………….. | 8 | REFERENCES | 9 | Appendix A…………………………………………………………………. | 11 | Appendix B…………………………………………………………………. | 12 | Appendix C…………………………………………………………………. | 13 | | | Introduction South Africa has the highest rate of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in the world! The draft South African liquor bill released on Monday 6th February 2012 will prohibit the sale of alcohol to pregnant women if it is passed. It is the first time that the South African government has proposed legislation to assist controlling the alcohol intake of women. (“Liquor Surprise for Pregnant Women,” 2012) But is this enough to meaningfully diminish the consumption of alcohol by pregnant women in South Africa? Within this context the following questions will be addressed: What is Foetal Alcohol Syndrome? How is FAS characterised? How is a baby affected by Foetal Alcohol Syndrome? How does alcohol affect the brain? What kind of role has the South African...
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