Warning Labels on Alcohol

It is truly unfortunate when our representative in Sacramento place demands of a powerful special interest over the opportunity to prevent birth defects. Yet, that is exactly what six Senate Health Committee members have done.

Birth defects caused by alcohol are the single most common preventable birth defect in the United States today. The effects range from low birth weight to mental retardation and major deformities of the head and face. Sen. Hart’s bill to place birth defect warnings on alcohol containers has won the support of every major public health and consumer group in the state, not to mention the major lobbies on both sides of the abortion issue.

Why then did Sens. Torres, Campbell, McCorquodale, Royce, Maddy and Mello either abstain from voting or duck the vote altogether? They claim that they want to give alcohol producers a chance to conduct their own efforts at public health education. Right. Shall we also eliminate the warnings on cigarettes and ask the tobacco lobby to take over the public education efforts on smoking?

During the past three years these six senators received a total of $91,000 from the liquor interests opposed to the bill, an average of three times the amount received by the three committee members who voted yes. In a dispute between the liquor lobby and healthy babies these six senators ought to side with the babies. They will have an opportunity to do so when the bill comes up for a second vote in the next few weeks. Their constituents ought to also let them have an earful before they vote.

JIM SHULTZ

Policy Analyst for Health Issues

Consumers Union of USA Inc.

San Francisco