A new World Health Organisation suggestion that most women should stop drinking alcohol has been described as 'unfair' and 'unrealistic.'
In the first draft of its ‘global alcohol action plan 2022-2030’ the WHO encourages countries to work to prevent certain groups from drinking – including women of childbearing age.
“Appropriate attention should be given to prevention of the initiation of drinking among children and adolescents, prevention of drinking among pregnant women and women of childbearing age,” it reads.
The advice has been widely criticised – with the body coming in for accusations of sexism, paternalism and scaremongering.
These people in Dublin told Newstalk that the advice was not appropriate:
“I don’t think it is going to happen,” said one. “It is just very unrealistic especially in Ireland because we are such a drinking country – but I mean it is a personal decision, isn’t it?”
“I would see it as unfair because it is just something completely unheard of,” said another.
“If I was a woman of childbearing age, I wouldn’t like that. I probably wouldn’t like being told not to drink alcohol even if I didn’t want a child at that time.”
Part of the criticism levelled at the WHO is based on the decision to target the advice at all women – regardless of whether they are interested in having children or not.
However, studies have shown that women who are trying to conceive should drink less.
Research from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology published in the Human Reproduction Journal earlier this year found that women who want to conceive should avoid heavy drinking.
It found that in the second half of the menstrual cycle, even moderate drinking can be linked to lower chances of pregnancy.
The WHO advice also calls on countries to protect people from “pressures to drink, especially in societies with high levels of alcohol consumption where heavy drinkers are encouraged to drink even more.”
It also calls for an international day or week of awareness on the harmful use of alcohol or a ‘world no alcohol day/week.’
With reporting from Niall Colbert
