Alcohol and the Fetus

Despite the protection offered a fetus by the so-called placental barrier, there is growing evidence that certain activities of a pregnant woman--smoking cigarettes, taking drugs, pursuing extreme diets--can seriously affect its wellbeing. Last week the Federal Government singled out a special danger. Citing evidence that "fetal alcohol syndrome" may be more widespread than had been supposed, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism warned pregnant women that consuming more than three ounces of pure alcohol--or perhaps as little as one ounce (two drinks)--a day could increase the risk of their giving birth to a deformed or retarded child. Added University of Washington's Dr. Sterling Clarren: "You wouldn't give a newborn baby a glass of Scotch--and you shouldn't give one to a fetus, either."

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