Doctors are demanding the federal government introduce mandatory pregnancy warnings on alcohol products to protect women and their unborn children, saying the community cannot look to the industry to self-regulate.
Doctors from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) say birth defects and lifelong neurodevelopmental problems associated with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders (FASD) have no cure, so prevention is paramount.
"This is why clear and unambiguous messaging on the harms of drinking while pregnant is important and why such messaging should be mandatory across all alcohol product labels," Professor Paul Colditz, President of Paediatrics and Child Health at the RACP and an alcohol policy expert said in a statement on Wednesday.
