Describe the symptoms and the circumstances that produce fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). How should the criminal justice system handle women who are drinking while pregnant?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The disorders just reviewed generally have been associated with consumption of large quantities of alcohol over a long period of time. In the case of the adverse effects of alcohol during pregnancy on unborn children, we are dealing with a unique situation. First of all, we need to recognize the extreme susceptibility of a developing fetus to conditions in the mother's bloodstream. In short, if the mother takes a drink, the fetus takes one, too. And present-day diagnoses of FAS are made on the basis of three groups of observations: (1) prenatal or postnatal growth retardation in which the child's weight or length is below the 10th percentile, (2) evidence of CNS abnormalities or mental retardation, and (3) a characteristic skull and facial appearance that includes a smaller-than-normal head, small wide-set eyes, drooping eyelids, a flattening of the vertical groove between the mouth and nose, a thin upper lip, and a short upturned nose. If only some of these characteristics are observed, the condition is referred to as fetal alcohol effect (FAE).
The incidence of FAS is approximately 0.5 to 3 cases per thousand live births in the general U.S. population, but the rates vary greatly within that population. Incidence is generally higher among Native Americans within the United States. We do not know at present how alcohol causes FAS or FAE, except that the greatest risk is in the first trimester of pregnancy, especially the third week of gestation when craniofacial formation and brain growth are prominent developmental milestones. Concentrated periods of drinking during this time appear to be very damaging to the fetus. For example, if two mothers consumed a similar overall quantity of alcohol during their pregnancies, but Mother A consumed one drink on each of seven days in a week and Mother B consumed all seven drinks on two weekend evenings, then Mother B would have incurred a far greater risk to her child than Mother A.