Dr. Marie Hay is calling for class-action lawsuits against alcohol companies. (Betsy Trumpener/CBC)

A pediatrician in northern British Columbia wants liquor and beer makers to help pay for the damage caused when pregnant women drink.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD, refers to a range of disabilities that are seen in people whose mothers drank alcohol while they were pregnant.

Dr. Marie Hay of Prince George has diagnosed thousands of children harmed by fetal alcohol consumption.

Hay's patient files document thousands of children hurt by exposure to alcohol. She said many now face:

• Anxiety.
• Depression.
• Autism.
• Schizophrenia.
• Mental retardation.
• Learning disabilities.
• Conduct disorders.
• Trouble with the law.
• Attempted suicides.

Prince George parents Skylar Dennis and Faren Piwniuk are getting assistance from a program that supports parents with FASD. (Betsy Trumpener/CBC)

The only way to stem the tide of damage is to stem the flow of alcohol by going after alcohol companies, Hay believes.

She said lawsuits against tobacco companies helped cut down on smoking and pay for damage to the health of smokers, adding it's time to do the same with alcohol.

"Somebody has to draw a line in the sand and say this is such a health problem, we have to stop it."

Sklar Dennis, 25, of Prince George said his brain and body were harmed by alcohol.

"I remember from a very young age that my mum was still into drinking alcohol," Dennis recalled. "I remember her trying to offer me some."

One of Dennis's sons has also been affected. The boy has a speech impediment, is partly deaf in one ear and is mentally slower than others. "It's definitely frustrating," his father said.

So far, no one has taken up Hay's idea of taking alcohol companies to court, and no companies have responded to the proposal.

Health Canada doesn't have statistics on the number of babies born with the condition or whether the number of pregnant women drinking is on the rise.