Telling pregnant women not to drink alcohol is ‘sexist’, say experts

Senior academics have called on society to re-evaluate how pregnant women are treated if they decide to drink alcohol.

Experts at the University of Kent and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) have deemed the official British government guidelines on drinking during pregnancy, which advise women to avoid alcohol completely, 'alarmist' and say there is no evidence to support them. Furthermore, the groups believe the rules have led to women being stigmatised and accosted in public by strangers. However, Clare Murphy, director of external affairs at BPAS, wants official bodies to be clearer with the facts: “There can be real consequences to overstating evidence, or implying certainty when there isn’t any." she said. “Doing so can cause women needless anxiety and alarm – sometimes to the point that they consider ending an unplanned but not unwanted pregnancy because of fears they have caused irreparable harm. “But just as importantly, it assumes women cannot be trusted to understand risk, and when it comes to alcohol, the difference between low and heavy consumption.”