I am involved in a pitch for a public awareness/social marketing campaign
for FAS prevention. We are recommending a positive approach and appeal that
focuses on universal parental feelings for their children (almost all
parents love their children and want what is best for them) while
acknowledging the life realities of women most at risk for alcohol affected
birth outcomes -- rather than on the current approach of blaming the
victims. If we are successful in the pitch, it will begin to change the
frame within which this issue is perceived -- at least in our small corner
of the world!

Alana LaPerle Consulting
[log in to unmask]
Phone: 780.435.9908
Fax: 780.438.6837




-----Original Message-----
From: Health Promotion on the Internet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Adeline Falk Rafael
Sent: July 12, 1999 11:08 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Re OHPE113


Christine

I couldn't agree with you more. It seems it's all around us! Is there
anything we can do to educate the people in this project? Adeline


At 10:33 AM 7/12/99 -0500, you wrote:
>I'm not sure if this is the appropriate way to address
>something that was published in the last OHPE, however,
>here goes.
>
>
>In section B, there is an announcement for the
>International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Day. I checked
>out one of the websites listed, www.acbr.com/fas/
>and found this on the homepage:
>
>"Many of society's most persistent problems stem from a
>single source: pregnant women drinking alcohol causing neurological
>damage to the child. The injured child is unable to meet the demands
>of parents, family, peers, school, career, adherence to rules, and
>enters a lifetime cycle of failures. Often the neurological damage
>goes undiagnosed, but not unpunished."
>
>
>Really?
>While I certainly don't deny that drinking during pregnancy
>has very harmful effects on the fetus, and I'm sure that
>the leaders of TRIUMF project have the best intentions, what about
>addressing why women drink and all the other factors
>that affect children, including access to health care and education,
>exposure to environmental toxins, freedom from molestation and
>physical violence against themselves and their mothers?  What about
>the effects of alcohol and drug use by the father on the fetus?
>
>Why are we engaging in blaming the mother for all of
>society's problems?  This is ludicrous and also dangerous.
>I thought we had moved beyond this kind of witch hunt.
>
>I am interested in the opinions of others on this issue.
>
>Christine Marton
>Doctoral student
>Faculty of Information Studies, U of T
>[log in to unmask]
>
_________________________________________________________

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be
counted counts" Albert Einstein