Can a pregnant woman eat sushi?

Do they in Japan?: The answer is yes and no. Apparently the Japanese have been doing it for who knows how long and are populating the world just fine. The theoretical risks are parasites and mercury but I am not aware of that being anything but an extremely rare occurrence. Possibly eating it daily for 9 months might accumulate enough mercury to cause a problem. I would recommend going to only high quality places.

Jury's not out yet: In many countries such as Japan sushi and sashimi are routinely eaten during pregnancy and not felt to be a health risk. In general there is limited objective data in regards to safety but due to theoretical risk, including food borne illnesses and possible mercury exposure, most OB/GYNs still continue to recommend avoidance of both.

Sushi & pregnanc: Sushi should be avoided during pregnancy for two reasons. (1) risk of bacterial infection complicating the pregnancy. (2) risk of exposure to mercury complicating the pregnancy. Certainly not worth the risk during pregnancy. Cooked sushi or vegetable-only sushi should be fine, but then we'd worry about the person making the sushi having washed his hands after handling raw fish.