We are preparing a lively debate on the motion: “Advising pregnant women to avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy is symptom of the Nanny State and another step towards the medicalisation of childbirth”. The venue for this event is the Executive Business School on 89, Holdenhurst Road. Members of the public, staff and students are invited to come along on Tuesday 28th June 13.30-14.30!
The UK Government state there is no known safe level for drinking alcohol in pregnancy. Therefore, it recently changed the official recommendation to pregnant women avoid drinking any alcohol as a precaution. In doing so the UK follows countries like Canada, where a similar recommendation has been in place for over a decade. At the same time one can ask whether such approach undermines a woman’s right to make an informed choice regarding the health of her unborn child. Some would argue that is represents yet another step towards the medicalisation of childbirth.
Faculty of Health & Social Sciences’ staff Liz Norton and Edwin van Teijlingen affiliated with the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health and will argue in favour of the motion. Donna Wixted, Joint Bournemouth University (BU)-Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, doctoral student and Greta Westwood of Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust & the University of Southampton will argue against the motion.
The audience will be asked to vote for or against the motion, both before and after the debate, to see if the debate has helped anybody in making up their mind. Our debate will be chaired by Prof. Vanora Hundley from the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences. In previous Festival of Learning events she has been involved in various debates around childbirth, such as The media is responsible for creating fear in childbirth and the year before that on Caesarean Section on demand under the title Intervention in childbirth: What’s wrong with letting women choose?
The debate is part of BU’s annual Festival of Learning which this year for the first time has satellite events in China and Malaysia.
If you are interested to come along please book your free ticket here! The Executive Business School is easy to find on 89, Holdenhurst Road near Bournemouth Railway Station.
Donna Wixted, Liz Norton, Greta Westwood, Vanora Hundley & Edwin van Teijlingen
FoL debate highlighted on USA website
New publication CMMPH student Donna Wixted
Festival of Learning 2014 not ‘finished’ yet!
FHSS academics teaching in Nepal
New weight change BU paper
One week to go! | The 16th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference
Geography and Environmental Studies academics – would you like to get more involved in preparing our next REF submission?
Congratulations to three former BU staff
MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024 Call – internal deadline
Applications are now open for 2025 ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowships!
Horizon Europe – ERC CoG and MSCA SE webinars
MaGMap: Mass Grave Mapping
ERC grants – series of webinars
We are very glad you touch this extremely important topic. Although it is a really popular opinion that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is dangerous for both the mother and the baby, the topic is still not very popular when it comes to debates and studies. And maybe popularizing it is the key to stop the problem and have a better prevention system, since many women know that is dangerous, but they don’t know exactly how this habit can affect their and their baby’s health. We would enjoy an update after the debate!