As of January 2010 smokers cannot be foster parents in a district of London. The measure aims to ensure the health of children by protecting them from passive exposure to tobacco smoke. They have not taken in appearing the critics in this regard.
Several studies warn of how especially susceptible children are to smoke, increasing the risk of asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, otitis and even sudden death. Smokers who already have children in their care will receive help to quit smoking.
Michael Stark, responsible for child care in this London area, comments on the following: "We know that many people consider it to be an interference with their freedoms, but we also know that tobacco increases the risk of serious childhood diseases." Criticisms of this measure have come from both the smoking groups and the national network that manages the foster care in the United Kingdom (Fostering Network), which has expressed concern as they understand that this measure can exclude families valid for Temporary care for children who need it.
The organization is collaborative in this regard and willing to evaluate each case individually. A measure that is logical if we consider that the person who smokes a cigar in the garden at the end of the day is not the same as the usual smoker.
Smokers, for their part, feel this measure as a new attempt to stigmatize and dictate how they should live their lives. According to the pro-tobacco group Forest "This measure seems to mean that smokers cannot be good parents, and that is totally unacceptable."
I understand that smokers feel persecuted and "stigmatized" as it is one more measure that adds to the long list of situations in which tobacco is almost persecuted.
But nevertheless we are talking about the health of third parties, in this case children, who have not "chosen to smoke." Simply wearing clothes impregnated with the smell of tobacco is enough to increase the risk of respiratory problems. No need to talk about those people who smoke in a room on the floor, even if they are away from children or directly in front of them.
If we focus, for example, on sudden death syndrome, just being a smoker (even if he smokes in the street) is a reason to advise against sleeping in the same room as the baby until 3 months of age.
