The Pregnant Woman at the Bar

Jacob Sullum | November 29, 2006

It's not often that The New York Times deserves praise for being politically incorrect, but today's Dining Out story about drinking during pregnancy certainly qualifies. The writer, Julia Moskin, not only locates physicians who are willing to question the public health establishment's insistence (as reflected in the surgeon general's warning on every bottle of beer, wine, and liquor sold in America) that complete abstinence from alcohol is the only acceptable option for pregnant women. She admits that she herself is pregnant and nevertheless continues to enjoy an occasional glass of wine. Readers who can suppress their urge to call the cops long enough will learn there's no evidence that light to moderate drinking during pregnancy harms the fetus. Fetal alcohol syndrome, which features facial deformities and mental retardation, is found only in the children of heavy drinkers. Does Jane Brody read The New York Times?