WHO tells women of child-bearing ages to not drink alcohol, but what about the men?

By Monica Athnasious

Published Jun 21, 2021 at 01:53 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

19469

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been under fire due to a controversial statement made in the first draft of its 2022-2030 Global Alcohol Action Plan. In the plan, which has been calledmedieval”, WHO suggests that there should be a “prevention of drinking among pregnant women and women of childbearing-age.” It is the latter half of this statement that has caused the stir. Since the ‘childbearing age’ for women and people with female reproductive organs spans from the ages of 18 to 50, it’s obvious why the organisation was slammed for its ignorant and patriarchal rhetoric. The story of our lives, isn’t it?

https://twitter.com/SweetInTheGale/status/1405605841986785281

Before I continue with how obviously problematic this is, there must be a clarification made on behalf of WHO. In spite of some of the incendiary headlines you may have seen, the Global Alcohol Action Plan does not call for a ban on drinking for women in this age bracket. In a statement, WHO explains, “The current draft of WHO’s global action plan does not recommend abstinence of all women who are of an age at which they could become pregnant. However, it does seek to raise awareness of the serious consequences that can result from drinking alcohol while pregnant, even when the pregnancy is not yet known.”

Despite this, it’s still pretty bad. Okay, it’s really bad. Most people are aware of the dangers of alcohol and introducing measures to improve people’s health isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We could all try to be healthier, right? However, where a woman’s health is concerned, it’s never really about her, but about the hypothetical non-existent child she may have in the future. Chief Executive of abortion rights charity British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Clare Murphy, released an official commentary on the action plan, “By treating all women—for 40 years of their lives—as little more than vessels, the WHO reduces women to little more than their reproductive capabilities.” Murphy continued on Twitter, writing, “We absolutely have to stand up to an agenda which increasingly treats every woman as ‘pre-pregnant’.”

This controversial statement from WHO, for many, continues to fuel the anti-abortion fire that has been spreading these past few years. With the US Supreme Court passing an anti-abortion decision and Poland passing a near-total ban on abortion in the first months of 2021 alone. But what if WHO is just actually concerned with the health of the future generation? Is it really about controlling women’s bodies? Yes, it is. Let me show you another reason why.

Ironically, WHO’s suggestion sits alongside its own statistics that showcase how alcohol misuse is much more prevalent in men than it is in women. Its statistical findings illustrate that around 700,000 women died globally of alcohol misuse in 2016. When comparing this to men, the number is over three times higher—2.3 million. It also removes men from accountability in childbearing. There have been numerous scientific studies that show the adverse effect alcohol consumption can have on sperm count. In one 2014 study, Professor Tina Kold Jensen of the University of Southern Denmark concluded “that even modest habitual alcohol consumption […] has adverse effects on semen quality.” They found that “alcohol consumption was also linked to changes in testosterone” in general.

If WHO really cared about the health of make-believe babies, then surely there would be fertility advice for men? No. Nothing. It’s almost laughable when you think of the real dangers women face in the environment of alcohol. The Institute of Alcohol Studies highlights “the strong relationship between alcohol and domestic abuse, violence and sexual assault. While alcohol should not be used as an excuse for those who perpetrate violence and abuse, neither should its influence be ignored.”

So maybe, just maybe, we can focus on the lives of actual real, alive women instead of human beings that don’t even exist yet. And hello? What if we don’t even want them to begin with. I don’t. I’m popping open a bottle right now.

Keep On Reading

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

What is the Baby Barnet cold case? TikToker’s AncestryDNA test leads to her grandma’s arrest

By J'Nae Phillips

The goth girl glow-up: How Jenna Ortega’s helping Gen Z rethink this dark aesthetic

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Sydney Sweeney hits back at body shamers who say she needs to go back to the gym

By Charlie Sawyer

What is the pink tote lid moment TikTok trend that’s exposing Gen Z’s mothers’ toxic behaviour?

By Abby Amoakuh

Pregnant women in the US more likely to die from murder than complications, cancer, or accidents

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Why are so many women dying in jail? Reports point to inadequate medical care and systemic neglect

By Charlie Sawyer

Here’s the real reason Armie Hammer shut down Louis Theroux’s questions about cannibalism

By Charlie Sawyer

Young men are turning to testosterone boosters in new TikTok trend linked to right-wing rhetoric

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Student expelled after criticising how her school dealt with unrapeable list scandal

By Abby Amoakuh

The White Lotus star Sam Nivola speaks out about gay incest scene amid calls for boycott

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Logan Paul trolling the BBC with a lookalike amid cryptocurrency scandal is so on brand

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

ICE jacket sales soar on Amazon, fuelling fears of immigration agent impersonation

By Abby Amoakuh

What is soaking? Everything you need to know about the Mormon sex loophole

By Charlie Sawyer

Why Alex Cooper’s new drink Unwell Hydration is being called problematic and inauthentic

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Everything you need to know about Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans’ love triangle in Materialists

By Charlie Sawyer

Chappell Roan cancelled yet again for saying she can’t be expected to be politically educated all the time

By Joe Pettit

Why the internet made a CEO’s killer its new sex symbol

By Charlie Sawyer

If you think Sabrina Carpenter’s tour is inappropriate for young audiences, leave the kids at home

By Fatou Ferraro Mboup

Gaza journalist death toll surpasses that of both World Wars, following latest Israeli airstrike that killed reporter

By Ilia Sdralli

Why people hate Taylor Swift’s fashion sense (and why they’re wrong)