Excessive alcohol consumption is America's costliest drug problem. Although alcohol is killing our young people, many do not recognize the threat. Knowledge of the dangers of drinking during pregnancy is similarly lacking. Since more than a third of all pregnant women do not see a doctor during the first trimester of pregnancy, we need to find some way to provide these women with this critical information. At the hospital where I work, I witness the tragic consequences of alcohol abuse first-hand.
Every expectant parent prays for a healthy child.
When parents learn that their baby suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, their devastation is all the greater because their child's suffering could have been prevented. We are here today to ask you to help spare other parents from this overwhelming guilt and frustration. We are asking you to support an ordinance requiring the posting of alcohol health warning signs wherever alcoholic beverages are sold. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop's December 1988 Workshop on Drunk Driving reported that advertising is one major source of learning about alcohol use, particularly for youth. Unfortunately, these advertisements provide no information about the consequences of alcohol use.