Poll: Should it be a criminal offence for women to drink alcohol during pregnancy?
Drinking during pregnancy could become a criminal offence, women's charities have said.
A council in the North West of England is seeking criminal injuries compensation for a six-year-old girl with ''growth retardation'' caused by her mother's alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
If the Court of Appeal agrees that the woman committed a crime it could pave the way for pregnant women's behaviour to be criminalised, according to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) and Birthrights.
Should it be a criminal offence for women to drink alcohol during pregnancy? Vote in our poll and have your say in the comment box below.
Ann Furedi, chief executive of bpas, and Rebecca Schiller, co-chair of Birthrights, said: "Making one particular form of behaviour during pregnancy into a criminal offence would lay the ground for criminalising a wide range of other behaviours because they may too pose a risk to the health of the baby."
