Birth defects are a tragic potential outcome to pregnancy. It can be heart-breaking to have a child who suffers from a congenital or genetic abnormality. But more tragic still is when a child suffers from a preventable defect, an abnormality caused because of the mother's life decisions. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is such a disorder, one that affects the children of mothers who drank alcohol during their pregnancy, and one that can seriously diminish the life potential and happiness of the children who suffer from it.
The Cause
FAS is caused by drinking during pregnancy, which can cause the alcohol to cross the placential barrier, affecting the growth and development of the fetus. Worryingly, about 30% of American women admit to drinking at some point during their pregnancy, with as many as 15% of pregnant women admitting to have ingested alcohol recently.
Because the brain continues to grow and develop throughout each trimester, there is no safe time to drink during a pregnancy. If you do drink, you run the risk of permanently damaging your child. Virtually all medical health professionals agree that you should, under no circumstances, drink alcohol during your pregnancy.
The Effects
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a serious problem. It can cause damage to the brain and the nervous system, with long-term damage to cognitive abilities and behavioral regularity. FAS causes permanent, irreversible damage to the central nervous system, and frequently results in the victim having decreased intelligence, bad memory, attention issues, anger management problems, and poor cause-and-effect reasoning.
FAS is the number-one cause of mental retardation in the developed world. As many as 2 births out of 1000 in the United States are affected by the disorder; while this number may sound slight, it is significantly higher than the number of Down syndrome or spina bifida cases.
The long-term effects are equally tragic. Adults who suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are more likely to suffer with addictive tendencies of their own later in life, with drug and alcohol addictions being the norm rather than the exception.
The cost of FAS is borne by all of us. It is estimated that the lifetime social costs to a child suffering from FAS is $800,000. The non-monetary costs are also high, as is the personal tole the disorder takes on family and friends.
If you'd like to learn more about the dangers of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other medical disorders, visit the Philadelphia malpractice attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., at http://www.philadelphiamedicalmalpractice.com.
Joseph Devine
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