The book deals with a serious and socially significant problem, namely the use of legal measures to prevent foetal conditions that are collectively referred to as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). These disorders have a common aetiology: alcohol consumption by mothers during pregnancy . . . . An attempt to find and present legal remedies to counteract FASD is significant not only from a moral but also from an economic perspective. As the experience of highly developed countries shows, the costs of care for persons affected by alcohol-related foetal conditions are considerable . . . . On the other hand, the absence of prophylactic and preventive measures in the realities of a much more deficient and underfunded health care system will presumably result in an increase in the number of FASD cases, which puts even greater strain on the system . . . .

The book highlights the multidimensional nature of the reflections on how to counteract FASD through measures belonging to different branches of law. It also emphasises the contemporary dimension of such reflections, manifesting in recent proposals of legal changes.

Dr hab. Piotr Szymaniec, the Angelus Silesius University of Applied Sciences in Wałbrzych Professor of Law