tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post110331185531459355..comments2024-03-06T03:15:58.539-05:00Comments on <b>THE NEW REFORM CLUB</b>: What Overcomes a Right?Hunter Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14961831404331998743noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1103643804690671502004-12-21T10:43:00.000-05:002004-12-21T10:43:00.000-05:00Fascinating and useful observations, indeed, Greg....Fascinating and useful observations, indeed, Greg. Many thanks for contributing them.—STKS. T. Karnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05971214612730402709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1103315339996854892004-12-17T15:28:00.000-05:002004-12-17T15:28:00.000-05:00Side note: When I say "ARND," I'm also including p...Side note: When I say "ARND," I'm also including people who have FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome). FAS is when both your physical features and your brain have been damaged by fetal alcohol. ARND is when it's only the brain. In many ways, ARND is far worse because it's not as easy for other people to see what the problem is. In my previous post, I probably should have used FAS/ARND wherever I used ARND. Sorry.Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1103314959583577392004-12-17T15:22:00.000-05:002004-12-17T15:22:00.000-05:00Here's the irony in this entire debate: A woman wh...Here's the irony in this entire debate: A woman who drinks chronically during pregnancy is a far greater cost to society than any person who chronically drinks and drives.<br /><br />The stats from a few years ago showed that for every person killed in a drunk driving accident in the U.S., about two people were born with permanent brain injuries due to alcohol in the fetus. However, that stat is only the tip of the iceberg.<br /><br />This condition, alcohol-related neurodevelopmental<br />disorder (ARND), is of incalculable cost to society. For starters, what would have very likely been a normal, healthy human being, instead suffers an all-out assault on his or her brain while in the womb. Once born, the baby's development is horrendously delayed and learning problems are soon to follow. Not only does the child tend to fall hopelessly behind in school, but often these children have extreme difficulty distinguishing between right and wrong behaviors. Sadly, they tend to struggle with holding down a job and are often in trouble with the law: theft, fraud, rape, murder, etc. For the prognosis of children with ARND, one saying that I've heard is, "The girls get knocked up and the boys get locked up."<br /><br />Prisons, brothels, and sad news stories are filled with people who have ARND. Some people have been in and out of prison three times before they're even told by a doctor that they have ARND. <br /><br />And guess what condition a surprisingly high percentage of drunk drivers have? <br /><br />Exactly.<br /><br />You know, a stronger case could be made to outlaw being drunk while pregnant than driving while drunk. <br /><br />I'm not going to comment on what the alcohol laws should be because I would need to research the topic further. However, for Sean Gabb's well-researched argument, he might want to add the ARND statistics to his arsenal. If people want to lower drunk driving accidents (and other outrages against society), then taking a hard look at mothers who refuse or are unable to stop drinking while pregnant should be a much higher priority than it is at present.Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.com