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Pregnant Smokers
- Thread starter FBS1996
- Start date
Nope... other then a couple broken bones and the regular cold here and there, I have (*knocks on wood*) never had any serious ailments. My sister is 5 years younger than me... and generally healthier than myself. She's a mother of 2 and a triathlon athlete.
Neither of us were underweight or premature either.
Lots of talk about rights. When a smoker, pregnant or otherwise, decides to exercise their right to smoke in a public/high traffic area, wouldn't some say that act opens up the rights of the non-smoker to free speech, in an effort to protect both the health of the non-smoker, the non-smoker's children (who may be with them at the time) and to some extent, the unborn child of the pregnant mother?
Some may get highly offended and say it's not his business. Most people have an aversion to "preachy-ness" which is understandable, but when will a person's "rights" and being Politically Correct take a backseat to ethics? Forget all your rights and think to yourselves: Is it right to do this to the baby (and yea not 100% of these cases result in damage to the child, but what percentage do you need to consider it "wrong")?
Also, if a helpless person was in an alley getting raped/stabbed/etc would you feel the same way? The baby has no rights to argue for or against the smoking, no political agenda, no soapbox. It may be the mom's right to smoke, but it sure as hell ain't ethical.
Some may get highly offended and say it's not his business. Most people have an aversion to "preachy-ness" which is understandable, but when will a person's "rights" and being Politically Correct take a backseat to ethics? Forget all your rights and think to yourselves: Is it right to do this to the baby (and yea not 100% of these cases result in damage to the child, but what percentage do you need to consider it "wrong")?
Also, if a helpless person was in an alley getting raped/stabbed/etc would you feel the same way? The baby has no rights to argue for or against the smoking, no political agenda, no soapbox. It may be the mom's right to smoke, but it sure as hell ain't ethical.
I'll bet you and your sister both rode around in vehicles with-out car seats and probably only hit the windshield a couple of times.
It's amazing our generation survived, we didn't have passive restraints, car seats, air bags, smoke free zones, CFL lightbulbs, or alar free apples.
I wonder at what point we will realize that imposing morality applies to keeping everyone else safe too? And I'm wondering if we'll ever realize how much freedom we gave up in the name of "safety". And I say this as someone who is repulsed by the habit and has never even tried a cigarette.
I wonder too, there certainly is an inconsistency in saying the fetus is just a pile of cells, there's nothing human about it, it's just a choice, and prosecuting a mother for making a choice (smoking) to possibly harm the fetus, while you protest for the right for choice to kill the fetus.
By that logic sir, it's like saying:
"Hey! I drink and drive all the time! and I'm fine! Doesn't matter if I had 1 drink or 20, I never (knock on wood) hit anyone before, never drove wrecklessly, never hit any trees/lamposts/buildings/etc...so get off your soapbox and let people drink and drive!! My sister drinks even more than I do and she's an even better drunk driver than me! It's perfectly fine, see?? So I can speak for every drunk driver who has ever lived. Ever."
Amen!! When I say "it's their right" I usually do so with sarcasm as our rights will be the downfall of us all.
This is an argument to make with oneself in regards to YOUR OWN child / family... NOT a stranger on the street. YOU have no authority over anyone else, nor are you that person's Doctor. Like mentioned previously in this thread, a 2 pack a day chain smoker might do less damage to a fetus cutting back to 1/2 a pack than quitting altogether.
That said, I would speak strongly against my wife if she was to smoke during pregnancy because of the risk.
no I'm not, I was answering a direct question about MY health due to my mother smoking (I added my sister since I originally mentioned her in my post).
None. We have "given up" nothing. We have to wait longer at the airport and many blame the TSA for whatever inconvience they "suffer" going through security. This nation has become fat, lazy and a nation of complainers.
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"Obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States - triple the rate from just one generation ago."
Suck it up people. And I don't mean at the all you can eat place.
Fetal lungs are the last to develop in the infant. That's why prematurity is really bad in regards to development. When the lungs do not develop completely, that is a birth defect.
It is more like low birth weight, not slightly reduced birth weight. There is actually a difference there.
In the first trimester, the fetus is the most susceptible to teratogenic factors. Heart defects can develop then. I would call that a birth defect, too.
Some studies have concluded that smoking during pregnancy can lead to placental abruption. That's very serious, and can cause maternal, as well as fetal, death.
There's a whole lot more, but I'm not going to waste my time on this. People don't want to believe this type of information, and argue semantics, in an attempt to make it ok.
Whatever. If you work anywhere near a maternity ward, you see the effects every day.
john turner
You don't want to do that. Trust me.
I had asthma up until I was about 12 years old. However, both of my parents smoked in the house, so I have no way to know if it could have been caused in utero or not.
Would you say that all of your education, all that you know, was only your doing? and not from listening to others, or exploring the writings/works of others, or learning from arguments instigated by others?
We learn by interacting with other people, whether it's viewed as positive or negative. My voicing an opinion on the matter can have a negative or a positive influence on this person, you don't know which, and we'll never know unless we try. Some people are self-destructive because they have some mental issues...but for others, they're lashing out because nobody cares, nobody expresses concern about their life. That one gesture (it doesn't have to be preachy) could change that woman's outlook on life, u never know.
We've gotten so cynical that nobody wants to believe that you're ACTUALLY interested in the well-being of a perfect stranger...we're all human and sometimes you have to be your brother's keeper, not only for your sake and the sake of others, but for his/her life as well. I never claimed to have authority over this woman's life, but I DO have an ethical obligation to speak out for the health of a defenseless child, whether some of you like it or not. If a father was molesting his young daughter and I found out, I have an ethical obligation to speak out. It's the same thing.
like John said: I will give up the fight against smoking the day the tobacco industry shows concrete evidence that smoking is good for your health, the health of those around you and your unborn offspring. Until then, countless documented medical cases worldwide have proven otherwise.
Ok, fair enough.
That is also a Felony. A woman smoking while pregnant is not against the law.
People who smoke (self destructive) aren't necessarily mentally ill or crying out for attention. They ENJOY a legal product. I know. I was a pack a day smoker for years.
We've gotten so cynical that nobody wants to believe that you're ACTUALLY interested in the well-being of a perfect stranger.
Now that I agree with.
Ethics have nothing to do with the law of a particular land. Smoking is harmful whether you're in Texas, Thailand or Tibet...are you saying if child molestation wasn't a felony, then we should just sit idly by, because it's none of our business?
I never said all smokers have self-destructive personalities (though, the process of smoking is self-destructive from a medical viewpoint), I meant self-destructive as in people (in general), who cause self inflicted bodily harm (which smoking does, but is not the only example of) to themselves as a reaction to personal experiences/issues.
Ok i will ask you then, Quickie (but others who smoke/smoked can chime in): Why did you choose to smoke that very first time? Cause, i mean, if you never smoked a day in your life up until then, there should be no underlying addiction to it (only unless, of course, it means that smoking while pregnant can also cause a nicotine addiction in the child due to its presence in the mother's bloodstream, which increases in the presence of second hand smoke later on in life...who knows? lol)
Nope. I am saying that it is a crime and therefore I would HOPE that a normal citizen would get involved.
So seriously, you believe a pregnant women smoking is the equivalent of Child rape?
What about obesity while pregnant, if you see someones whose diet is inappropriate should you butt in to their business? What if they let their kids swim in kiddie pools, kiddie pools account for more death among children in the US than firearms do, should you butt in and tell them no kiddie pools?
I would love to know how many of those who are so incensed here by a pregnant women smoking are just as incensed at abortion. That harms the fetus too.
Not smoking, but what about drinking? I played a gig, where the singer's pregnant fiancee drank 5+ glasses of wine. She would ask the waitress for a glass, then pour it in a plastic cup when her mom was in the bathroom. My girlfriend was sitting at the table, horrified.
They had their kid, and put pics up on facebook. He was TINY. Now the kid looks normal, but...damn.
They had their kid, and put pics up on facebook. He was TINY. Now the kid looks normal, but...damn.
not in the least... never came close to implying it.
this is reminding me of my maternal grandmother... she constantly picked apart everything that everyone did. At one point I confronted her as to why she always felt the need to hurt and alienate the people who wanted to be close to her. Her answer was that she was just trying to get people live up to her own standards.
Again, I am an ex smoker that is still a regular Nicotine user (I use a personal vaporizer... e-cig). I am also against smoking (regular or alternative) during pregnancy... AND doing either in the company of children. I would definitely speak out against a family member or friend that was pregnant and smoking. I do feel that speaking out to a woman who obviously knows that smoking is bad (assumption based on her comment at the checkout) is an invasion of her personal freedoms and in extreme bad taste.
For me personally, It has nothing to do with being cynical or uncaring... but I do see your point as well. It is a tough call either way.
