Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Have you ever read a book that hit you so hard you actually hurt when you finished it? I've just read such a book! Its called; "Forfeiting All Sanity," by Jenifer Poss Taylor.

She, and her husband, David, finding themselves unable to have children of their own, turned to adoption. One of the three kids they adopted was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, though they were unaware of this fact at the time of the adoption.

FAS can occur during any pregnancy wherein the expectant mother consumes ANY amount of alcohol. You see, it has no bearing on how much the pregnant woman drinks, but rather on how well the fetus metabolizes the alcohol that goes into its bloodstream, via the umbilical cord. One sip, or a weekend of intoxication... there seems to be absolutely no correlation between the amount she drinks and the intensity of the damage done to the unborn baby.

And, what damage! The physical aberrations include damage that resembles Down's Syndrome, muscle and nerve control, optical damage and severe lack of coordination. The brain damage makes these things seem minor, by comparison. Children affected by FAS are unable to be disciplined. Cause and effect have no meaning to them. Self-awareness runs from non-existent to total, depending on circumstances. They can be anxious and panicky about events that others find normal. They cannot control their anger, and steal whenever they wish to do so. They are far more prone to using drugs and being promiscuous at a very early age.

Can you imagine the terror that a parent of such a child must live with on a day-to-day basis? How can you protect a child with FAS?

A little research online leads to the possibility that the increase in convicted felons may be due to the ever increasing numbers of those who suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome due to their mom's drinking.

Read the book. If you have sympathy in your heart, it WILL bring tears to your eyes. By the time you've finished reading it, you might (like me) start thinking that drinking while pregnant is the worst form of torture of a child that there has ever been, and just may be even more satanic than abortion. Please visit jenniferposstaylor.com for more info.

Kids are for loving. God says so.

Please...