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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Who Has the Rights?

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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 damage to her unborn child and it is stated that alcohol causes more damage than illegal or legal drugs. So far it has been estimated that FAS costs the American economy approximately $321 million a year. Based on all research, this particular disease/disorder is 100 percent preventable, as long as the mother does not drink any alcohol during pregnancy, the chances of her unborn child

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