Do you feel this is child abuse?

Question

I was out to dinner last night and saw a very pregnant woman Smoking. I asked the waiter if somking was allowed and he said no. They came and told her there was no smoking , and she made a had a fit, saying it was " her right"

Im 18 weeks pregnant , I dont smoke or allow anyone to smoke near my children. I just think it should be treated as child abuse if a pregnant mom is smoking. It would be Child abuse if you were making your 2 yr old to smoke, the mother is MAKING the baby smoke as well.

In Indiana they are trying to pass a law no smoking with kids in the car....... Should babies in the womb not count in that?

To mr grumpy...... So you feel its your right to make your child sick...... I really hope you dont have any kids. I can see needing to CUT down but that will not take months i wouldnt think, Some parents dont put their kids first. No matter how poor the parent claims to be they always seem to find the money to buy the cancer sticks, but need the government to pay for their food. So I guess medical care when you child gets sick is not an issue either.

Im a mother of 2 and pregnant with #3......

The law makers shouldnt have to step in, the parents should all have comon sense. But since they dont...... The law makers need too. I dont eat much junk food, however id rather see a mom eatting a fast food burger and fries rather then puffing all those toxins in.

No maam I have not asked this question 4 times, If you had been start enough to read them.......... I asked since the law is in the works of passing in both pregnancy and an the law section . So maybe you should actually read before putting in your 2 cents.

**smart

I asked to see if i was the only one that thought it was a good law.......... I feel it is....

I grew up with second hand smoke.... I had a very large tumor removed that is most likely related.

Answer 1

Wow Maggie, I don't know who your doctor is (or what decade you had your child) but every doctor I've ever heard of agrees that quitting smoking is extremely beneficial to your unborn baby, whether you do it ideally before getting pregnant, or at ANY point during your pregnancy. Frankly I think not quitting to avoid "stress" to an unborn child is a pretty pathetic cop-out. Last I checked oxygen was a little bit more important....

If you hadn't guessed, I DO think it is basically abusive for a pregnant woman to be smoking. Just as it is abusive to not provide a clean, safe, HEALTHY environment for your children to live in once they're born.
Sure, it's YOUR right to smoke, but you DO NOT have the right to pollute the environment of OTHERS, and your body happens to be the environment of your unborn child.

And I'd like to know what makes those people so much more important than everybody else who think their right to smoke comes before the rights of everybody else around them.
Parents, your first responsibility is to take care of your children and keep them healthy. Failure to do so is negligent/abusive. What makes you think they shouldn't have as many rights as you do? Especially to clean air and good health.

I fully support any law that bans smoking in cars with children, and unborn babies should definitely be counted among those children.

Answer 2

I think it is wrong for a pregnant women to smoke as well....but I also do think that every women has the right to make their own decisions. You can't make everyone in the world do what you think and feels is right. The other night I was at a bar and there was a pregnant women there not only smoking but drinking as well and yes I did feel bad for her unborn baby but that was her choice and nothing I could say would change her mind. She is the one thats going to have to deal with the possible effects her baby will have. So whatever the case and however sad it may be pregnant women have the right to do whatever they want while pregnant. I think the only way to solve issues like these is to better educate women on the effects there babies may suffer due to lifestyle decisions that they make.

Answer 3

Almost everyone I know who has any kind of breathing difficulties, be it asthma or lung cancer or emphysema had a mother who smoked during pregnancy. The adults in this category usually smoked as adults, but not always. The six year old with asthma who has a mom that's had a 2 pack a day habit since before he was born though..tell me he hasn't been affected by mom's smoking.

Answer 4

My sister smoked with 2 of her 3 pregnancies. Those babies both had RSV and both were on and off breathing treatments for the first year. The first child (that she didn't smoke while pregnant but smokes in his presence now) is on three different asthma medications.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure you can legislate this. As much as I wish it were possible, it would be very difficult to regulate one's private life.

Answer 5

I agree.

People shouldn't be allowed to smoke around their kids either. If you have to be a certain age to smoke then you shouldn't be forced to breathe in the toxic smoke from somebody elses cigarette!

Smokers have no class!!


ETA-

To all the folks who are saying that you can't abuse a fetus because it's not legally a 'person' are 100% WRONG!!!

Haven't you ever heard of people getting charged with fetacide?? Where they cause the death of a fetus?

Answer 6

No this is not child abuse - legally you cannot "abuse" a child before it has been born.
Also 25 years ago it was common to smoke while pregnant and around children, now people dont do this so much anymore but smoking near or around a child is not considered child abuse.
In addition some women who are heavy smokers are advised by thier OB-GYN to not quit outright but gradually cut back while pregnant because the shock of the nicotine withdrawl could cause a miscarriage.
Used to work for DSS - not child abuse

Answer 7

i smoked when i was pregnant,she was my first baby and was 8lb 4oz-that's not a small baby!! I'm not proud of my smoking i quit shortly after i gave birth and havent touched one since (nearly 2 years)but i think smoking around children is disgusting but i don't have the right to comment because i did it too since i quit smoking if my bf smokes near me my asthma plays up badly and really makes it hard to breathe i just couldn't imagine putting a little child through that it seems kind of selfish.

Answer 8

I totaly agree with you.I smoke myself and I have children, but when I was pregnant I quit and I do not smoke in my house.I figure I choose to smoke not my children and they have the right to live in a smoke free enviroment.If I want to hurt myslf smoking that is my choice but I will not hurt my children.All my friends that smoke do the same.We just think that it is the child/childrens right.

Answer 9

hi im liz and i agree with you but theres really nothing anybody can do to stop ardent smokers doing it where and whenever they like... i dont smoke and have 6 kids i stay away from smokers and smoke as best as i can and keep my kids away too thats the only way we can keep them from passive smoking... there are lots of deaths each year from passive smoking and theres not a thing we can do about it... so just keep out of the way until theres a law passed about this... either that or get a BIG GUN and shoot them all ha ha ha... liz

Answer 10

This is another one of those fine lines between the woman's right and the baby's right. Personally, I'm on the side of the baby on this one - just like drinking and taking drugs during pregnancy! I have never smoked and don't want myself or my children to be exposed to second hand smoke anywhere. That's my right!

Answer 11

I'm a smoker and I am not saying it right because I know it is not. The lady above was correct about passing laws on junk food and soda. All the processed food we eat loaded with things we can't even pronounce and all you guys do is attack us. Children are exposed to so many harmful substances during pregnancy it is disgusting, even the meat we eat is gross. If you want to protect your child from all the harmful things during pregnancy and not be "abusive" then lock yourself in a padded room and only eat organic home grown food, don't use electricity, bath supplies from stores or anything else, cause they are all bad. We all make choices and we don't have to agree with others but stop putting them down and bashing them, We all need to grow up quite a bit.