INTEMPERATE TEMPERANCE

Temperance advocates in the Yukon who want to reduce the incidence of fetal
alcohol syndrome by prohibiting the sale of booze to pregnant women are
well intended but on the wrong track.The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society has
asked the territorial Liquor Act reform commission to prohibit bars and
liquor stores from selling alcohol to pregnant women. FAS is a medical
condition afflicting children whose mothers drank during pregnancy. It
causes developmental disabilities and behavourial problems.

Jeddi Russell, the society representative who spoke to the territorial
commission, says the Yukon has the highest incidence of the syndrome in
Canada. Her proposal would place the onus on those who sell liquor, rather
than on those who consume.

Such a regulation would be a nightmare to enforce - how would a bartender
know if a woman was in the early stages of pregnancy when the most damage
would be done? How many women would be refused a drink because a server
mistook obesity for pregnancy?

But there's a bigger issue at stake. In a democracy, freedom to choose
means the freedom to make mistakes. Russell's proposal is highly insulting
to women in that it presumes none are smart enough to make wise choices.

No one can fault Russell for her passion in fighting FAS - it takes a
terrible toll on northern communities - but her proposal would never pass a
court challenge. Nor should it. It goes contrary to basic principles of
democracy and personal responsibility. It would be an unfair and unlawful
restriction on women.

That Russell and her society would make such a proposal is an indication of
how seriously they regard the problem of fetal alcohol syndrome, but
there's no quick fix in passing a law. Fighting the disease through
education and lifestyle changes may seem painfully slow, but it's the way to go.