A comedian based in California claimed during one of her shows that pregnant women could drink beer if they were healthy enough. Truth is, alcohol consumption during pregnancy is very risky, with health professionals recommending complete abstinence. As a result, many called out the comedian and her beer-while-pregnant stance.
Iliza Shlesinger, the comedian in question, shared the pregnancy bit on her TikTok. She often shares snippets of her comedy specials, and the clip attached above is no exception. While the clip itself didn’t gain much traction, reactions to it, such as Perfectly Imperfect’s (Kamille), did, garnering 355,500 views, 18,100 likes, and more than 340 comments.
The California woman, in the middle of her set, talked about drinking while pregnant. After clarifying that she wasn’t a doctor, she said that a woman at 8 and a half months pregnant, as long as she and the baby are healthy, could have a beer. According to her, drinking was a way to “feel like a [expletive] human.”
“Nothing’s happening at 8 and a half months that was so important it didn’t get done already, okay? I don’t know what you’re waiting for. At 8 and a half months, all that kid is doing is learning to take advantage of your generous hospitality,” she added.
Science Says Otherwise
Of course, Iliza’s assertion regarding drinking during pregnancy is mistaken. The CDC states that alcohol use during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, stillbirth, and sudden infant death syndrome. It can also cause lifelong behavioral, intellectual, and physical disabilities. These are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASDs.
“Not all babies will be affected by alcohol during pregnancy. However, it is impossible to know which babies will be affected,” the CDC said.
Content creators such as Perfectly Imperfect shared their thoughts online. Kamille, the woman behind the account, lives with FASD, as her birth mother drank while pregnant with her.
“A lot of children are born with FASD a lot of times look healthy as newborns. The children with FASD don’t get diagnosed until school age or older. There’s a reason we don’t give children alcohol, and there is an age limit because the brain is still developing. This was a bad joke. It wasn’t funny. And yet again, FASD is just the butt of everyone’s jokes,” she said.
Internet Reacts To Comedian’s Pregnancy Claims
Many viewers reacted to Iliza’s clip with criticism. One said, “Yeah, that’s an addiction.” Another one asked, “This feels like it should just be common sense. You wouldn’t give your newborn half a beer, would you?” A third one added, “Alcohol is never okay, really, let alone having a baby in there.”
Some users, supporting what Iliza said, shared stories of their own. One wrote, “I took a shot of tequila right before I pushed with my last kid. Then I was nursing him in bed 20 minutes later. It was fine.” Another one added, “When my mum was in labour with me (in the 80s), she was sat smoking in between contractions.” These comments were met with criticism as well.
As stated above, alcohol consumption during pregnancy is very risky, as there is no safe amount, type, or time to drink while nurturing a child.
