Did WHO say women of childbearing age shouldn't drink?
Marie Claire is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. In news today, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been called out for new guidelines which state women of child-bearing age shouldnt consume alcohol. Their latest 37-page alcohol action plan  which is, at this stage, a draft  states that any women who are pregnant, but also of childbearing age, should avoid drinking. Many women responded to the guidelines saying it was Handmaids Tale-esque, with one Twitter user, doctor Emma Milne (@Emma_Milne4), sharing:  I think all of us who work in this area knew this was coming, but wow! In the document, the WHO point out that prenatal alcohol exposure can be one of the most dramatic manifestations of harm to persons other than drinkers, but further share:  It is necessary to raise awareness among decision-makers and the general public about the risks and harms associated with alcohol consumption. 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, and protection of people from pressures to drink, especially in societies with high levels of alcohol consumption where heavy drinkers are encouraged to drink even more. To team Marie Claire UK, it looks like like the real aim of the document is to encourage governments globally to pay  as the WHO put it  appropriate attention to the ongoing issue of alcohol misuse. Some stats for you. According to The Lancet journal, 2.8 million people die globally from alcohol-associated illnesses each year  2.2% of women and 6.8% of men. Sadly, these figures are only rising, with Nuffield Health reporting that 20% more people died from misuse in the UK in 2020 than the year previous, 2019. However  and this is where the issue arises  the report appears to advise women to be more wary of alcohol than men, despite the stats painting a different picture, and thats why people are riled. As Marian Knight, professor of maternal and child population health at Oxford University put it for The Times, it highlights a structural and cultural bias that needs to be recognised and tackled.  As per The Independent, Clare Murphy, Chief Executive of abortion rights charity BPAS, agrees and adds that the new advice is a risk to hard-won womens rights by attempting to control their bodies and choices in this way.  She also expressed that the guidelines err on the side of treating women like vessels. By treating all women  for forty years of their lives  as little more than vessels, the WHO reduces women to little more than their reproductive capabilities, she shared. Many have taken to Twitter to urge people to read the full proposal before jumping to any conclusions, with IAS Head of Research, Dr Sadie Boniface saying: Media coverage has centred on one phrase in the 33-page draft action plan.