NLMA calls for warning labels on alcohol containers St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, September 9, 2003 Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association President Dr. Susan King today urged federal Health Minister Anne McLellan to support placing warning labels on alcoholic beverage containers to alert women to the dangers of consuming alcohol while pregnant. In this province, as many as 5,000 people suffer the effects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder or FASD, an umbrella term used to describe certain birth defects that result from drinking alcohol during pregnancy. At the NLMA's 2003 annual general meeting, a resolution supporting the labeling of alcoholic beverages sold in Canada was enthusiastically endorsed. In a letter to Minister McLellan, Dr. King noted that in April 2001, Parliament voted overwhelmingly (217 to 11) in favor of a private members motion to require labels on alcoholic beverages warning against drinking while pregnant. "Despite this strong support for motion, which was endorsed by the Canadian Medical Association and other health organizations, the federal government has failed to act," said Dr. King. "Two years later, even as our awareness of fetal alcohol-related conditions increases, the federal government remains reluctant to take action on a measure that clearly has the public good in mind." "While the NLMA recognizes the work of the federal government in the area of FASD, we also endorse the labeling of alcoholic beverages as an important, complementary initiative similar to the effective and widely accepted and understood warning labels carried on cigarette packaging," said Dr. King. "Today, on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day, the NLMA strongly urges Health Canada to assume a leadership role to ensure warning labels are placed on alcoholic beverage containers sold in Canada," concluded Dr. King. [old/media/contact.html] |