Hansard

I thank my colleague and friend Rona Mackay for again bringing this very important topic to the chamber with a debate on international FASD day and the need for awareness.

International fetal alcohol spectrum disorder day falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of each year. That, I am told, is to draw attention to the importance of going alcohol free for the whole nine months of pregnancy.

Folk might feel that that is an easy ask; surely it is as simple as “If you’re going to get pregnant, don’t drink.” However, that is not so. As the motion from Rona Mackay states,

“46% of pregnancies in the UK are unplanned so without better awareness, people may continue their pre-conception lifestyle until they have a positive pregnancy test”.

Many women are into week 4, week 5 or even later before their pregnancies are confirmed.

Prenatal alcohol exposure is a significant public health issue for Scotland, with an estimated one in seven babies born at risk of FASD. It is also estimated that between 3 and 5 per cent of people in Scotland could be living with FASD.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a term used to identify the range of physical, emotional and neurodevelopmental differences that might affect a person exposed to alcohol while still in their mother’s womb. FASD is frequently described as a neurodevelopmental condition. The term describes a collection of disorders that are a consequence of altered development of the brain and nervous system, and evidence suggests that early and accurate identification of brain differences and support needs can facilitate better outcomes for those who are affected.

Sadly, as we have heard, there is no treatment or cure for FASD, and the damage to a child’s brain and body cannot be reversed. However, an early diagnosis and support can, and often does, make a difference. Once a child has been diagnosed with the condition, a team of healthcare professionals can assess their needs and offer appropriate educational and behavioural strategies.

Without early diagnosis and appropriate support starting in childhood, FASD can lead to secondary disabilities, including reduced educational attainment and outcomes; mental health and addiction problems; involvement with the criminal justice system; and premature death from violence, accident or even suicide. Early identification is vital, as support can mean fewer mental health issues, better educational achievements and improved life chances.

We also need to address the drinking culture, including drinking patterns, because this is not only about how much people drink, but about the way in which they drink. As with any alcohol-related issue, the risks to the fetus are typically influenced by three aspects of the pattern of alcohol consumption: the quantity of alcohol consumed; frequency, or how often the mother drinks; and the timing of drinking in relation to pregnancy.

The most damaging pattern of drinking for the fetus is heavy episodic drinking, known in the UK as binge drinking. Folk can get a bit of a shock when they find out how small an amount of alcohol can be considered as binge drinking. The UK guideline for weekly alcohol consumption is 14 units for folk who are not pregnant, and a binge is defined as drinking a certain number of units on a single occasion—six units for women and eight units for men. That sounds simple, but what is a unit? Is it a drink, a glass, a bottle or a can?

In fact, a binge, which is the riskiest type of drinking for the fetus, amounts to just two large glasses of wine. That is not an unusual amount for women of reproductive age to drink on a night out or during dinner at someone’s home. It must also be taken into account that alcohol measures poured at home are often two or three times larger than pub measures—that is something that folk should ponder on.

In conclusion, I hope that today’s debate has brought the issue to the forefront of folks’ minds and that it goes some way towards getting the message across. The message that I would like to get out there is this: “Don’t risk it. If you are even thinking that you would like to become pregnant soon, just don’t drink.”