Comments on: The Bartender

By: Sue

Sue — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:05:17 +0000

I also commend the barman and also think Equity raises an important point when she asks how many fathers give up smoking and drinking to support their partners (and their child’s healthy development). While we all know that women shouldn’t drink when they are pregnant - what do people think about the responsibilities of the women’s braoder community and in particular fathers?

By: Murray

Murray — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:34:16 +0000

Regarding the smoking question - the answer is simple. Ban all smoking in public places!

By: Equity

Equity — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:56:56 +0000

I completely agree with the Bartender and commend his efforts. We are all aware of the health consequences for the baby and the mother.

However, just to stretch the debate a little further and having been a non-smoking pregnant lady in the past. What are we to do with the smokers that come and stand beside us at the bus stations, train stations, outside the entrances to restaurants, toilets etc. As a pregnant woman and then mother of a wonderful daughter, we cannot always control the passive smoke that our bodies and our children are subjected to.

While I agree, that it is a mothers responsibility to not drink alcohol or smoke while pregnant, the point of this debate is creating healthy children… our society needs to take a look at the collective behaviour and not just single out the pregnant woman at the time.

And finally, just to put out a further challenge in response to the previous blog. Yes it is only 9 months, albeit in some cases the most stressful and exhausting 9 months of your life. How many fathers to be, give up the alcohol and smoking to support their partners?

Food for thought

By: John

John — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:27:50 +0000

I am struck by the report that she was drinking light beer, which is a concession to the pregnancy (2% alcohol rather than 4%) I think the bartender might have said “Good thing you are just drinking low alcohol beer because you obviously know that alcohol can have a really bad impact on your little baby”. This might have been a more positive way of challenging her about her drinking at all.

The unfortunate thing in this report is that she says that she also drinks wine, which is more likely to be around 13%. This reveals a lack of real knowledge about drinks more than anything. The bartender would have had more cause to challenge the wine drinking had he seen it.

By: michelle

michelle — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:04:11 +0000

absolutley! His comments were commendable in our ‘turn a blind eye’ society. While he doesn’t have the authority to refuse her alcohol based on her pregnancy, he surely has every moral responsibility to question her actions. All power ro him & if only there were more like him willing to stick thier necks out a little.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 23:33:42 +0000

Full credit to the bartender. He showed a great deal of courage and responsibility in his attempt to have the young lady think about whether she should be drinking while pregnant.

It makes me cringe when I see a pregnant woman drinking alcohol or smoking a cigarette. It is only 9 months that a pregnant woman need to go without. It is great to see a young man in the responsible position of serving alcohol taking his job seriously and looking after the best interests of his patrons.

At times bar people need to make calls that will be unpopular (usually with a person who is being refused service for various reasons) and they should have the support of the public to do so.

By: Ben

Ben — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 08:54:28 +0000

The bartender was absolutely right & it just highlights the criminal lack of awareness about the dangers of drinking while pregnant. We have advertisements about the problems of drinking generally, but where are the advertisements targetting this issue - which involves an innocent party who’s brain is getting damaged?

By: Sam

Sam — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 22:59:38 +0000

I personally would give a thumbs up to the bartender. From personal experience going through my wife’s first anti natal classes, the instructor almost belittled her health messages on the affects of drinking and smoking during pregnancy by stopping straight after the speech for a cigarette break for any mothers that needed a puff!

As a community we all pay for negative consequences from mothers who make bad choices for their unborn child. I commend the bar tender who chose not to look the other way, but act.