Pregnant women who consume alcoholic beverages while pregnant, in my eyes, should be prosecuted for child abuse and even, depending on the severity, attempted murder and murder. The fetus receives no benefits from the mother’s drinking. On the contrary, the results of an alcohol abused pregnancy are usually quite devastating whether they are a direct effect of the mother’s drunkenness on the unborn child or a disease such as fetal alcohol syndrome or potential addiction on the delivered child.When an alcoholic becomes pregnant, the fetus has great potential to suffer dire consequences related directly to the instances of alcohol consumption. Once intoxicated, physical stability can be altered allowing the possibility to fall and injure the fetus. Another aspect is that drunk people are more susceptible to fighting and violence making it unsafe for the unborn child. Also, if a pregnant woman under the effects of alcohol decides to drive a car, she is more likely to wreck injuring the fetus and herself. The alcohol itself damages the fetus. When the mother takes a drink of alcohol, the baby receives the same amount which means that every ounce of alcohol that the mother ingests is also ingested by a being only about 3 percent of her body weight.Most devastating are the long term effects of alcoholism on children. The most well known disease is fetal alcohol syndrome which causes certain birth defects during fetal development. As children, they exhibit deficiencies in short-term memory and the ability to solve problems. They also display hyperactivity in school. These characteristics continue into adult life. A similar, but not as serious, situation is fetal alcohol effect. This is diagnosed when a child has some of the symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome but not all.Another harmful effect of alcohol on an unborn child is alcohol addiction. It is believed that addiction to alcohol is indeed hereditary. This means that the pre...
