I was not attaching anyone, merely pointing out
that a statement like "MANY of society's problems
are caused by women drinking during pregnancy"
is inflammatory not informative.   Substitute the word
"women" for an ethnic group, e.g. native Canadians,
 and perhaps this becomes more apparent.

My concern is with the quality of health information on
the Web.  Websites with statements such as the one
above on the TRIUMF project website serve no one,
they only delegate blame.

Twenty years ago, it was not uncommon
to say that if one's kid turned out to be gay or left handed
or in any other way "different", it was the mother's fault.
I don't want to see a return of that type of rhetoric.

I'm happy to see Rhonda Love's explanation of the website
developer's personal situation.  However, it doesn't alter
the fact that the wording in the first paragraph of this FAS
website could be improved.

Regards, Christine Marton
[log in to unmask]



> Date:          Tue, 13 Jul 1999 09:28:50 -0400
> Reply-to:      Health Promotion on the Internet <[log in to unmask]>
> From:          Debbie Bang <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject:       Re: FAS and social problems
> To:            [log in to unmask]

> Rhonda ... thank you for your concise and informative clarification AND
> effective "squelching" of what appeared to be an staging of a formal attack
> on a group that works for the same end product as members of CLICK4HP do, a
> world where all are treated equitably and with respect.  There is a lesson
> here for all ... react (if appropriate) to the facts below the surface NOT
> the words shining up from the computer screen.  It behooves us to dig before
> we write!
>
> Debbie Bang
> St. Joseph's Community Health Centre
> Consumer Health Information Service
> 2757 King Street East
> Hamilton, Ontario
> L8G 5E4
> (905) 573-7777 ext. 8054
> (905) 573-4828 fax
> [log in to unmask]
> www.stjosham.on.ca
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rhonda Love <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Monday, July 12, 1999 9:10 PM
> Subject: Re: FAS and social problems
>
>
> >Dear Colleagues:
> >
> >Today I experienced Listserv CLASH. I am on this list and on FASLink, a
> >listserv devoted to caregivers, people with FAS and professionals dealing
> >with FAS.
> >
> >I joined FASLink after I read an article by Bonnie Buxton in the May, 1998
> >issue of Elm Street (a Canadian magazine). Bonnie was writing about the
> >experience of being a parent of an adopted child whose capacities are
> >limited because her biological mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. As I
> >read Bonnie's article "the penny dropped" and I realized that I, too, had
> >known a young man all his life and had NOT put it all together. He, too, is
> >an adopted child whose birth mother drank alchohol and used other drugs
> >during pregnancy. I have learned a lot during my year plus on FASLink, so
> >I'll try to answer some of your questions.
> >
> >At 07:09 PM 7/12/99 -0400, Ronald Labonte wrote:
> >>Having caught the debate, I visited the web-site.  Who is Bruce Ritchie?
> >
> >
> >Bruce Ritchie is a man who is the biological father of a child with FAS. He
> >is also the new moderator of FASLink and devotes his life advocating for
> >better lives for people with FAS and their care givers. I know him
> >personally also.
> >
> >>What is TRIUMF?
> >
> >A dream of creating a community where people who share problems can live
> >and work together to create a better life.
> >
> >> I had the uncomfortable feeling of reading a "true-belief"
> >>zealot's page.
> >
> >I recommend that those of you who visit the website also visit the archives
> >of the listserv, where you will see all kinds of topics addressed,
> >including the contribution of the father's use of drugs and alcohol to FAS,
> >links to lots of useful research, the testimonies of many who live with the
> >problem 24/7, the difficulties of birth moms in recovery (and not), what it
> >is like to live with a greatly misunderstood problem, etc.
> >
> >  While not wanting to discount the problems of FAS, I wonder
> >>if we are not constructing yet another single disease for complex social
> >>pathologies.
> >
> >I refer you to research by Anne Streissgurth. Start at her website
> >http://depts.washington.edu/fadu/
> >
> >Of course, the issue is VERY COMPLEX. It is an area that could benefit from
> >critical reflection. But, that should be done in the context of
> >uderstanding and compassion.
> >
> >For information about FAS, visit http://www.nofas.org/stats.htm
> >
> >For information about some of the problems with mother blaming, visit
> >http://www.lindesmith.org/womrepro.html
> >
> >  Is there someone on this list with a less-vested take on FAS
> >>who might corroborate or question the huge statistical list of social ills
> >>the TRIUMF web-site attributes to (it would seem) even a single drink by a
> >>pregnant woman?  I could be wrong/out of touch with this issue.  Or TRIUMF
> >>could be dangerous.
> >
> >TRIUMF isn't dangerous, unless dreaming of a healing community is
> >dangerous...and, I guess some would say that it is.
> >
> >If you take the time to visit the archives, you will see that people who
> >live with FAS question everything. There you will find a range of ideas,
> >from mine, which I hope are based in feminism and critical reflection, to
> >those of people who would lock up drug abusing pregnant women without a
> >moment's hesitation.
> >
> >The problems articulated are real. Whether "even a single drink" is the
> >cause is problemmatic. To begin, almost no one takes a single drink. But,
> >more importantly...there is thought to be no safe level of drug or alcohol
> >consumption during pregnancy. Think what a problem this is, as one could be
> >drinking without knowing that one is pregnant. Of course, supposedly some
> >people have drunk alcohol during pregnancy and lactation and not produced a
> >child with FAS or supposedly lesser effects.
> >
> >
> >>At 04:11 PM 7/12/99 -0400, Lawrence Murphy wrote:
> >>>As someone who spent 5 years on Canada's west coast as a psychotherapist
> in
> >>>alcohol and drug services I do think that FAS is a huge and significant
> >>>problem. I can also report that in those five years of dealing with
> severely
> >>>addicted people, I met no more than one or two who were not abused in
> >>>childhood. In particular, those who were sexually abused as children
> tended
> >>>to face the most significant challenges in recovery.
> >
> >
> >I believe that most people who seriously reflect on substance abuse would
> >agree with you. (I hope, anyway!) Thus, we would all hopefully work to
> >prevent the causes of substance abuse and there would be no FAS. Of course,
> >people with FAS also run the gamut...they are victims of abuse and
> >perpetrators of abuse. Some statistics indicate that more than 50% of
> >people in prison are suffers of alcohol related neurological disorders.
> >
> >(Snip)
> >
> >
> >>>I would certainly support a constructively critical letter Christine. Let
> me
> >>>know if I can help.
> >>>
> >
> >I strongly recommend that a letter be constructive and not blaming. If you
> >want to reach people dealing with this problem, you need some understanding
> >of where they have been....a principle I'm sure we all understand and agree
> >with.
> >
> >
> >Rhonda Love
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Professor Rhonda Love, Ph.D., C.Psych.
> >Department of Public Health Sciences
> >Faculty of Medicine
> >University of Toronto
> >12 Queen's Park Crescent West
> >Toronto, Ontario
> >CANADA   M5S 1A8
> >
> >Tel:    416-978-7514
> >Fax:    416-978-2087
> >Email:  [log in to unmask]
> >
>