A TIME Magazine article released on August 2nd, 2023 about prohibition has been flagged by our team at FASD United for using inaccurate terminology. While the article itself is well-written and relevant, its use of outdated language to describe prenatal alcohol exposure is not excusable after almost twenty years of updated information. This misrepresentation is harmful and non inclusive to those who have diagnoses besides FAS under the FASD umbrella.
To speak more on this, the author writes that “about 119,000 babies annually are born with fetal alcohol syndrome,” referring to the global prevalence of FAS. The citation seems to lead back to a reputable 2017 systematic review published in 2017. However, another systematic review published the same year (2017) about the global prevalence of FASDs: “Furthermore, 1 of 13 pregnant women who consumed alcohol while pregnant was estimated to deliver a child with FASD. This estimation would result in a cohort of 630,000 children born with FASD globally every year.” The discrepancy between 119,000 to 630,000 births is large, and while both estimates were accurate for 2017, the former is not encompassing of the range of alcohol-exposed pregnancies that make up the FASD spectrum.
The article mentions and makes note of new research, one even cited from July 2023. This use of modern research and information brings into question why TIME was unable to perform the same level of research on FASDs. For an iconic magazine with such a broad reach, misinformation on clinical terms is unacceptable. Individuals with FASDs see themselves misrepresented in the media frequently, which can make it even harder for themselves, and others to come to terms with their diagnosis. A lack of public knowledge and understanding works against people with this neurodiversity, and when a magazine with twenty-six million subscribers publishes, people listen.
We appreciate this author’s take on prohibition and the promotion of the dangers associated with alcohol during pregnancy. However, we ask that in the future, they would be more willing to research nuanced terms and statistics to protect, and more accurately represent those in the FASD community.
To see the letter written from FASD United to TIME’s editorial director of Health, Science, and Climate, please take a look at the letter included below.