Once again the polarized, puritanical view that one is either a perfect saint or a falling-down drunk has defeated common sense and personal responsibility. Let's get realistic before we have pregnant women arrested over a glass of wine and before we buy into the government as better qualified to raise children than parents.
 
It doesn't take a medical expert to determine that serious alcohol abuse will cause Fetal-Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and that no-alcohol equals no-risk. Despite the higher level of drinking found locally (“Drinking while pregnant,” July 16) there is no corresponding higher level of FAS, proving that there must be an acceptable level of reasonably safe alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Pregnant woman in SLO County have obviously found this acceptable level, are not all alcoholics, and should be treated with more respect.
 
The group most likely to drink is not the most likely to have a baby with FAS, proving the concern by the SLO County Health Agency is flawed. You can bet that the real purpose is to increase funding to throw at a nonexistent problem. Perhaps doctors with medical training know better than county bureaucrats who wish there were more sick babies to prove their point of view.