Ash Wednesday fasting

Frequently on the big-time Catholic blogs, a discussion will arise about what priests will and will not address in a homily. One of those is birth control. Some believe that many priests are afraid to address the issue; others come to their defense, reminding us that marital issues, like birth control, are so far from most Roman Catholic priests' day-to-day experiences that they don't come to mind immediately when they are composing their homilies.
I wonder how much truer the latter is than the former.
This weekend at Mass at the parish I was visiting, the priest was reminding everyone that Ash Wednesday was approaching, and it was a day of fast and abstinence. He did say that people who were very sick were excused from fasting. He then gave a few examples of the types of physical conditions that would be covered, like diabetes. This priest was diabetic, and could tell us from his own personal experience that fasting would be dangerous for diabetics. I was waiting for him to remind anyone that if they are pregnant or nursing that they, too, are excused from usual fasting rules (side-note: Danielle has been discussing this very issue on her blog today). I waited and waited, while he even told people that if they get really cranky when they don't eat not to fast either. No mention of pregnant or nursing women.