? for PRO-CHOICE people...smoking vs. abortion?

Question

Question for the pro-choice people:

I just read a question about smoking during pregnancy, and almost everyone said it should be illegal, outlawed, banned, etc.

My question is...if you are PRO-CHOICE, do you think that women who smoke while pregnant are horrible? Should there be a law against it? Should it be banned? If so, why?

If the reason for having an abortion is "It's my body, I can' have an abortion if I want." is a valid excuse, why can't the same be said for a smoking pregnant woman, "It's my body, I can smoke while I'm pregnant if I want."

Anyone who wants to answer, feel free. I'm mainly curious to hear from pro-choice people though.

If the question is unclear, to make it simple, it is: If you are PRO-CHOICE re: abortion, do you think it's wrong for a pregnant woman to smoke? If so, why?

Some could argue that she's not only hurting her body, but her unborn baby's. Couldn't the same be said for having an abortion?

I think snugglebears has the right idea, and understood my question. What I was getting at is, if you think it's OK to have an abortion, but you think smoking is wrong during pregnancy, WHY? Abortion is guaranteed to kill the baby...smoking may or may not harm it. Why is abortion OK but smoking not?

Answer 1

I am pro-choice and I feel if a woman wants to smoke while pregnant so be it. It is her body.

Answer 2

Many of you are applying logic to an addiction. People seem to know and expect the alcoholic or meth addict to have difficulty quitting their addictions while pregnant, if they ever do. But with smoking, people don't apply the same principal. It is an addiction, it is EXTREMELY difficult to quit and if a woman is cutting back, that is to be applauded and encouraged.

Smoking is not healthy, can cause premature birth, can cause low birth weight and MAY be related to SIDS. There are no birth defects attributed to smoking while pregnant that could not be found also in the non-smoking population at large. And smoking during pregnancy has been going on for enough decades for the science to support the argument that it causes birth defects; as it stands, the science does not support that.

As far as abortions go, they are up to the woman....and any judgement is between her and God....not society. He that is without sin should cast the first stone...so that counts everyone out doesn't it.

Answer 3

I don't think its the healthiest thing to do while you are pregnant, but I also feel like it is their choice. I Smoked about a pack a day when I found out I was pregnant. I have cut down to about a pack a week. My Dr. is extremely happy with it. All in all it doesn't bother me that they smoke while pregnant, it bothers me that people smoke in their homes and in front of their children. As far as defects with a baby because of smoking, I personally haven't seen these effects. Smoking is addictive and hard to stop. If only other people could sympathize and understand that instead of running others down.



I guess since they feel it should be illegal to smoke, then it should be illegal to drink caffeine, use certain artificial sweeteners, don't forget about the women who paint with the wrong paint, or take herbal stuff that isn't approved by the Dr, (i.e. trying to induce labor at home), the ones that don't know the should stay out of hot tubs....the list could go on. MAKE IT ALL ILLEGAL!! lol so silly

Answer 4

I'm pro choice. To me, pro choice means the woman has the choice to either keep her baby or make the choice to abort. If she chooses to keep the baby, I feel it's her responsibility to bring that baby into the world healthy and give it a good life. To answer your question, pregnant woman shouldn't smoke or drink or do anything to harm the fetus. I don't think it should be illegal, it should be common sense. The government already sticks their noses into our lives enough without dictating more rules.

Answer 5

I'm Pro-Choice and I don't smoke. However if I did, I wouldn't do so during pregnancy. Although I think that it's a bad decision and i know that it has extream risks for the unborn child I cannot say that it should be a law.
It's that womans decision and she'll have to raise a defected child and live with the guilt that she's the one that did this to her own daughter/son.

Answer 6

if you're asking if i feel smoking damages an unborn child then the answer's yes. i believe it should be avoided at all costs since b/c if it effects you, it's going to effect your child. this has been proved time and time again by several unbiased medical sources. the corollary being, would you drink a fifth of vodka while pregnant? or take unlimited hits of acid? even though those seem a little rash, the fact that everything you do effects your child can't be denied.

i'm sure i got this all wrong.

and i'm not pro choice. this was kind of for nothing.

Answer 7

I think the "it's my body and I'll do as I please with it" argument ends when the woman decides to go forward with the pregnancy. I do think that abortion is the right of the woman and that her sovereignty over her own body is part of the reason why it needs to remain a right. However, once she decides to carry the pregnancy to term, it's NOT just her body, it's her baby's body as well. And smoking, drinking and other activities that are detrimental to the development of the baby should be curtailed in the baby's best interests. If you've chosen to have the baby, then why would you not choose to have a healthy baby?

Answer 8

I truley feel sad for so many baby's out there. I am definetly for pro-choice.
I am pro-choice for the women to hold her legs shut and say no. Or they have the choice to get on birth control.
Or they have the choice to use adoption agency.
Or they have the choice to love what they made.
Smoking while pregnant is not only hurting you it is hurting the child who has no choice on who their mother is.

It's you who gets to decide if they live or die. So sad. Women should never want to hurt their children before they are born, but hey I guess they do everytime they smoke. It is your body I completly agree. It is also your baby's until it is born.

Answer 9

If you are smoking while pregnant, having decided to keep the baby, then you are deliberately harming that child. It's the same as beating a child about the head. On the other hand, millions of people have been born to either smokers or people around smoke the entirity of their gestation and are more than fine. So maybe it's not like beating your child about the head. Personally I think that smoking period is horrible.

Answer 10

I am pro-choice but I also believe that once you decide to have a baby you should do all that you can to ensure that the child has as best of a chance at good health as possible like not smoking, not drinking, etc. smoking puts the baby at risk for low birth weight, increases the chance of SIDS and chronic asthma and it is my choice to cut those risk out by not smoking..my addiction is not worth the health of my child, but it is a choice none the less.

Answer 11

I'm pro-choice, and I think smoking during pregnancy is a bad idea. It could cause miscarriage, and could affect how the fetus is forming by depriving it of oxygen, so eventually, when it *becomes* a baby, there could be problems.

And no, there shouldn't be a law against it.