NYC makes it illegal to refuse to serve a pregnant woman alcohol

[Ex Lurker]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/00f36eefd6d74852b7165cdea0334068/agency-bars-cant-ban-pregnant-women-or-refuse-them-drinks

t's against the law to refuse, under guidelines the city Human Rights Commission released Friday to help people interpret a 2013 city law. It centers on expansive protections for pregnant workers, but the guidelines also say mothers-to-be can't be kept out of New York City bars or denied alcoholic drinks just because they're expecting.

"Judgments and stereotypes about how pregnant individuals should behave, their physical capabilities and what is or is not healthy for a fetus are pervasive in our society and cannot be used as pretext for unlawful discriminatory decisions" in public venues, the new guidelines say.

What does DU think? This puts NYC at odds with the Surgeon General, and most everyone in the US medical establishment, who say no level of alcohol use is acceptable for a pregnant woman.

[NutmegYankee]

1. It's one thing to advise against it's use, it's a totalitarian act to deny it.

Pregnant women are not mere incubators - they are human beings and they have the right to choose what they consume like the rest of us.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. While it's true that pregnant women should avoid alcohol,

it's not up to bar employees to refuse to serve them. It's up to the women themselves to make those decisions. How are bartenders supposed to decide whether someone is pregnant at all? The worst effects of alcohol usually occur early in pregnancy when it might not even be apparent that a woman is pregnant. Some women who are simply overweight might look pregnant even though they aren't. Giving bartenders the authority to refuse to serve alcohol to pregnant women is fraught with all kinds of problems, ranging from the embarrassing to the downright insulting.

How far might this go? Should well-meaning waiters refuse to serve calorie-laden desserts to overweight people?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

3. "Should well-meaning waiters refuse to serve calorie-laden desserts to overweight people?"

Well, it is NYC....

I thought Bloomie and Bill were all about being concerned so you never know.

[demmiblue]

4. I don't see how this puts them at odds.

These entities are disseminating information to pregnant women regarding alcohol use during their pregnancies, not calling for laws to make purchasing a glass of wine illegal.

Apples and grapes.

[LiberalFighter]

5. Bartenders are not trained to know what is acceptable or not in that situation.

If they were given that authority they could use it as a pretext to avoid serving them.

[NCTraveler]

6. Does the Surgeon General recommend laws banning the sale to pregnant women? Nt

[alarimer]

7. It's not up to the bartender to play doctor

Good for New York.

I'll let people be the judge of what they choose to do.

Some liberals just love the nanny state.