Rocky kicks off a campaign for alcohol-free pregnancies

If you're pregnant, or even if you think you are, and you plan on buying a stiff drink this weekend, you may notice the following reminder posted at your favorite Salt Lake City hangout: "BAD MIX."

Those two words are printed on posters that volunteers will be putting up inside bars and clubs around town this weekend as part of an initiative being promoted by Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson.

The mayor signed a proclamation Friday that declares Sunday as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day. The same date in 1999 became recognized around the world for the same reason.

"There is no known safe level of alcoholic consumption during pregnancy," Anderson said during a press conference. "There is also no known safe period during pregnancy when alcohol can be consumed.

"Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is completely preventable if a mother simply refrains from drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy."

With that, the mayor said Salt Lake City has partnered with community organizations to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking alcohol, including beer and wine, while pregnant. Reading from the proclamation, Anderson said that Utah spends about $27 million annually on medical treatment, special education and home care due to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

FASD covers a range of disorders related to prenatal exposure to alcohol, the effects of which can be birth defects, growth deficiencies, physical and mental disabilities and abnormal facial features, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates that FAS rates, depending upon which areas of the country are studied, range from 0.2 to 1.5 per 1,000 live births.

University of Utah pediatrics professor Dr. John C. Carey, medical director of the Pregnancy Risk Line, said there is a lack of early diagnosis of FAS and that more needs to be done to make sure resources are available to those affected by FAS. At Primary Children's Medical Center, he noted, there should be five or six times the number of FAS cases currently being seen there.

Ruth Brown, who is married and resides in Springville, has lived for 30 years with FAS and said Friday alongside Anderson that many people with FAS can't make it in the world and have "no life." Brown, who deals with a heart condition and learning disability as a result of her own FAS, said FAS "needs to be taken care of."

The number for the Pregnancy Risk Line is 800-822-2229.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com