CDC links pregnancy to alcohol consumption

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Story by Lexi Loya, Editor

When many Americans think about college, one of the first things to come to mind is partying. Movies often portray college as a time when students party and drink as much alcohol as they can, especially for the under-agelings because it makes us super cool (just kidding, because we’re all good Americans who follow the law, right?).

Alcohol is ingrained into American life. Ever heard of Las Vegas? A whole city dedicated to alcohol and gambling. And don’t forget about prohibition. That was a jazzy time.

But hold on to your whiskey bottles, ladies, because the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just published an infographic proclaiming that “drinking too much can have many risks for women” including pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

So first off, what’s this nonsense about drinking too much can get a woman pregnant or give her STDs? Alcohol has developed some magical powers if it can suddenly get someone preggo. I thought only the male species could give the divine gift of pregnancy or the divine curse of STDs? Apparently scientists have developed some alcoholic potion and now we don’t need men to have babies! Isn’t that just swell? All the feminists should get a kick out of that.

Speaking of feminism, does the warning sound a bit sexist, or is it just me? True, the pregnancy risk doesn’t exactly apply to men, but the other risks which include injuries/violence, heart disease, cancer, fertility problems and STDs, do. So why single out women? Maybe because this is a male-dominated world, and anyone who disagrees is naïve. Although women have made substantial progress in equality, unfortunately we’re still not quite there.

While I made jokes earlier about alcohol suddenly being a pregnancy potion, the CDC does give some good points. Women who are pregnant or intend to become so, shouldn’t drink at all. Furthermore, no one should drink excessively because that’s called alcoholism and its bad and ruins families and people’s lives. A drink, or four, here and there, however, may be fine if you’re of age. Sometimes people need to unwind and let loose, as long as they don’t make stupid decisions that can lead to bad outcomes. People who drink should be adults, at least that’s what the laws says, so maybe the key is to act responsibly when drinking alcohol.

Women, and men (I add them in because I’m not sexist), rest easy. Alcohol cannot get you pregnant or give you an STD or physically harm you. People who overindulge in alcoholic drinks are the ones that cause these risks, not alcohol itself. This isn’t Harry Potter, and magic potions, like alcoholic drinks that make women pregnant, thankfully don’t exist.