New study: now it's OK to have a glass during pregnancy

You might say it's cause for cracking open a bottle of Champagne, but that might be going too far. Back in May the government announced that pregnant women should abstain completely from alcohol for the sake of their unborn baby, not because of evidence supporting the recommendation but because it would send a "strong signal" to mums-to-be. Now the health watchdog NICE says 1.5 units a day is fine - that's about the amount in a small glass of wine - after the first three months.

At last an advisory body is giving women the facts (and acknowledging that the science isn't definitive) rather than just scare-mongering and adopting a paternalistic attitude toward them. As Margot posted on the previous Alpha Mummy discussion:

The issue here is not so much whether or not women should drink during pregnancy, but whether it is the place of government to make strong recommendations to the public on based on no scientific evidence.

I worry greatly about the way that this impacts of women's rights to choose how they live, pregnant or not.

If we start down that road soon we'll be debating whether we lock up pregnant women with real alcohol dependencies. It's a hot topic in the States, where a study found that states with more draconian sanctions had fewer women lawmakers. What a coincidence.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to be on BBC 1 Breakfast at 8:20, along with Dr Rosemary Leonard, talking about the new recommendations and how women feel about them. So I don't look like a complete fool, let me know by posting your comments here.