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December 18, 2024
New campaign promotes alcohol-free pregnancies
Gideon Porter
Posted On December 18, 2024
Download AudioThe Government has just launched its new ‘Nurture the Future Within’ public health campaign, aimed at preventing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder by promoting alcohol-free pregnancies.
Between 3 and 5 Kiwi babies are born every day with the condition, which can cause lifelong disabilities and ill health.
RuruHana Brownie of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Care Action Network says as whānau, hapū, and iwi, we all need to speak up—to both challenge and support wāhine to put their pēpi’s health first.
“The kōrero could go down the track of ‘oh, it’s the wāhines’ problem.’ So we don’t want that to happen. We know that this is a community issue. We need our whānau to be supporting our wāhine, those who are pregnant or may become pregnant – please be bold whānau… please be bold,” says Brownie.
RuruHana Brownie says this is not a new issue, because 150 years ago, 169 rangatira petitioned the then-colonial government for help with the problem, writing: “Our babies are born unwell.”
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