Don't you hate it when government tries to step in and tell us what we can and can't do with our bodies?

Well, I guess New Yorkers can rejoice in the fact that there's no law against pregnant women consuming alcohol. New York preggos can belly up to the bar and throw back as many Long Island Iced Teas as they'd like.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, there are 20 states that have laws defining alcohol use by pregnant women as a form of child abuse. Those states are:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Colorado
• Florida
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Maine
• North Dakota
• Nevada
• Oklahoma
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Wisconsin

Depending on the specifics of the situation, pregnant women in these states may be accused of child abuse, and individuals who refuse to serve pregnant women alcohol will have some legal justification for doing so.

As you can see, New York is nowhere to be found on that list. So not only can you drink while pregnant, but you might also be able to take legal action against an establishment who refuses to serve you... in fact, this actually happened.

In 2016, the Human Rights Commission of the City of New York had to issue an advisory which said denying a pregnant woman's right to drink is a discriminatory act.

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.

...yikes?

EXPERTS TEND TO AGREE... DON'T DO IT

Consuming alcohol while pregnant is... not great. The Surgeon General's Office and other medical organizations have long issued warnings that consuming any alcohol while pregnant has the potential to cause fetal alcohol syndrome or other negative health effects.

But technically, in New York... it's perfectly legal. So, bottoms up!