Legislation Urges Health Warnings for Alcohol Ads
Rep. Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Albert Gore Jr. (D-Tenn.) proposed legislation Wednesday requiring that all television, radio and print advertisements for alcohol include warnings about its dangers.
Congress last year required alcohol warning labels on bottles and cans, but Gore and Kennedy said more action is needed, particularly to inform pregnant women about the dangers of liquor and to prevent young people from viewing drinking as glamorous and sexy.
“Each year, more than 5,000 infants are born suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome and another 50,000 babies experience milder but still serious birth defects known as fetal alcohol effects,” Gore told a news conference.
“Maternal alcohol abuse is the leading recognizable cause of mental retardation in children,” he said. “Our country has to figure out a way to deal with the consequences of our relationship with alcohol.”
Advertising groups attacked the bill as a “prohibition” against many ads, saying the proposed warnings are too long to be included in 15- or 30-second spots and would virtually eliminate such commercials.
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