Ban alcohol sales to pregnant women
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to prohibit the sale and service of alcohol to pregnant women and to allow alcohol sellers and servers to refuse service to pregnant customers on conscience grounds.
Why we would sign this petition
- Could reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and the risk of fetal alcohol-related harm, protecting infants and families as the petition seeks.
- Implements the Government's Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by translating its health advice into a clear legal prohibition.
- Allows sellers and servers to follow their conscience by legally permitting refusal to serve pregnant customers.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- May stigmatize and single out pregnant people, raising concerns about discrimination and unequal treatment.
- Practical enforcement is difficult because pregnancy is not always visible, risking intrusive checks or inconsistent application.
- Could prompt legal and rights challenges and produce unintended harms, like limiting pregnant people's autonomy or shifting drinking to unregulated contexts.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada Prenatal alcohol exposure is the most commonly known cause of preventable developmental disability in Canada; Fetal Alcohol Syndrome causes physical harm and psychological impairment; The Government of Canada recognizes the above in their Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy; These health issues affect the baby, and by necessity, the family and the broader society; Many Canadians view it as immoral to provide a pregnant woman with alcohol; The conscience of those who refuse to serve a visibly pregnant woman alcohol is encroached upon by current law; Their refusal is not on the basis of sex, but out of concern for the child the woman carries. We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to 1. Listen to the experts who wrote the Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by prohibiting the sale or serving of alcohol to pregnant women. This will ensure a safer, healthier society and honour the unborn by protecting them from a lifelong disability; and 2. Permit those who sell or serve alcohol to obey the dictates of their conscience and refuse the service of alcohol on the basis of pregnancy, not sex. 1. Listen to the experts who wrote the Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by prohibiting the sale or serving of alcohol to pregnant women. This will ensure a safer, healthier society and honour the unborn by protecting them from a lifelong disability; and 2. Permit those who sell or serve alcohol to obey the dictates of their conscience and refuse the service of alcohol on the basis of pregnancy, not sex.
Government response
No government response is available yet.