Editor,
I was amazed to read that CASAA has rewarded Brewster's Pub for denying entrance to a pregnant woman.
I truly hope that other establishments like Brewster's do not follow suit. Jerome Romero, CASAA's project director, is quoted in the Oct. 28 Lobo as saying ". we appreciate [Brewster's employees] putting themselves on the line for someone else's best interest."
Whose best interest does the misguided employee, Eric Padilla, of Brewster's Pub purport to be "looking out for?" As a woman and a restaurant employee, I can honestly say that I do not need servers in restaurants looking out for my, or my baby's, best interests.
This situation is one more example of a woman's rights being subordinated to the rights of a fetus. A woman has the right to go where she wants and do what she wants with her body, pregnant or not. If the consumption of alcohol were criminalized for pregnant women, then it is a short jump to criminalize smoking cigarettes, having a poor diet, or soaking in a hot tub, all of which can affect the health of a fetus. Never mind that all Ms. Timmons was doing was going to a bar to see a band, not drink.
The Lobo article goes on to say that Romero "believes nine months is not that much time to pause from alcohol-related functions, or any other situation that could endanger the health of [the] unborn child." Driving a car can endanger the health of her unborn child. Being in the kitchen, the site of most at-home accidents, can endanger the health of her child.
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Can we not see how absurd CASAA's award is? Furthermore, what constitutes an alcohol-related function? A family member's wedding with an open bar? A picnic at which beer is served? An art opening accompanied by wine and cheese? Romero's comments imply that pregnant women cannot be trusted anywhere alcohol is available.
Were a restaurant to refuse service to me because I was pregnant, I would most certainly take legal action.
Businesses must not get the message that women will let their bodies be controlled. Women have the right to make decisions in the interest of their children and themselves. CASAA's attempts to educate are perhaps honorable, but the erosion of women's rights is not.
Katherine MacCorkle
UNM student
