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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Research Paper

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Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) occurs when a pregnant mother drinks an excessive amount of alcohol. The alcohol travels through the mother’s blood to the placenta. Then from the placenta through the umbilical cord to the unborn fetus. FAS can range from mild to severe. The unborn fetus can have physical, mental, and behavioral problems. The symptoms will never go away. They will last a lifetime. FAS affects 40,000 births a year which is roughly 1% of the annual births. FAS impacts as many children as autism does but is not as widely known as autism. Alcohol is the most common environmental cause of birth defects in the US yet, it is 100% preventable. A child impacted by FAS will never live a normal life. He/she will need assistance in school …show more content…
It is more so about being ethical than it is about the law. A doctor must establish a good relationship with their patient and gain their trust so they can assume that their patient is being honest with them about things. So where does the doctor draw the line? A doctor will call CPS services if a mother fails to pass a drug test. A mother who is a known drug addict will get drug tested regularly while being pregnant. What happens to the mothers that are known alcoholics? Obviously there is not a drug test for alcohol. Most of the time you can’t even tell a woman is drinking during her pregnancy until the baby is born and the damage is already done. Even though there is no proof that a mother is consuming excessive amounts of alcohol (unless she comes to the doctors plastered) should a doctor do the ethical thing and report her if he suspects she is drinking? Doctors can break confidentiality if they know harm is to come to an identifiable individual. Does a fetus fall under that category even though some can argue a fetus is not yet a person until they are born? What happens once the baby is born? Does the mother who endangered and hurt her child keep her child? Does she go to jail? Rehab? It is said that no more than 20% of mothers who are reported for substance abuse during pregnancy actually go to rehab. There are no federal law that says you can not consume alcohol if you are pregnant. By the time a child is …show more content…
Bells are rung at 9:09 am on September 9th in every time zone. People all around the world gather together to bring awareness to FAS and to show that they support all the families that are struggling with a child that has been diagnosed with FAS. September 09, 1999 was the first time this awareness day was established. The ninth day of the ninth month was chosen to be a reminder of the nine months that a pregnant woman should not drink alcohol. It is also a reminder of all those individuals affected with FAS and did not get to reach their full potential. They had something stolen from them before they were even able to take their first

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