A well-meaning warning on pregnancy assailed as demeaning

A federal agency earlier this month issued a warning for women of child-bearing age: Avoid alcohol if you’re sexually active and not using birth control, because you might be pregnant and alcohol can harm a fetus.

The intention was to give women information about choices that affect health.

But the recommendation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unleashed a barrage of ridicule and fury, as bloggers and commentators denounced it as sexist, patronizing, and alarmist. Even “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” took a few moments to lampoon a graphic that accompanied the advisory — a likely first for a CDC alert.

The backlash surprised a leader of the campaign, Dr. Anne Schuchat, the health agency’s principal deputy director. In a recent interview, Schuchat said she was worried the brouhaha had distracted from an important message.

The uproar illustrates the challenges of encouraging healthy behavior without seeming judgmental, especially when the advice touches on women’s freedom to make choices in pregnancy and childbirth.

Critics attacked the CDC for placing all the burden on women, with no mention of men’s role. They accused the agency of treating women as nothing more than potential vessels for fetuses. They questioned whether drinking was a greater risk to fetuses than, say, getting in a car or a hot tub. Some disputed the scientific validity of the advice, given that it is not known how much alcohol it takes to damage a fetus.

“Women are constantly being told what to do,” Rupali J. Limaye, a research director at Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, said in an interview. The CDC’s message made sense, she said, but it came across as, “Hey women, here’s just another way we’re going to think about restricting your freedom.”

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