Drinking in pregnancy: shifting towards the 'precautionary' principle

Debate rages both in academic circles and in the media over communicating messages to the public regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This chapter considers how research-based evidence is translated into risk communications through three key mechanisms: ‘official’ publications and guidance issued by government departments or health authorities; websites run by advocacy groups; and midwives at the front line in delivering advice to women. The focus is on the UK, and, to a lesser extent, other countries (USA, Australia, New Zealand), where the ‘risk narrative’ around drinking in pregnancy and pressures towards adopting the ‘precautionary principle’ have emerged and strengthened over recent decades.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge/CRC Press in "Risk and substance use: framing dangerous people and dangerous places" on 17/02/2020, available online: http://www.routledge.com/9781138491243 or http://www.crcpress.com/9781138491243