Soon signs in London will read “Thank You For Not Fostering Children.” This week, a council in London became the first city to mandate that smokers cannot foster children. Redbridge Council’s cabinet agreed Tuesday night to a ban on placing children with foster carers who smoke absent exceptional circumstances. Anti-smoking advocates are seeking to expand the mandate to other areas of London and other cities.
The ban will go into force in 2010 and is based on the “damaging effects of passive and second-hand smoke.”
The Fostering Network, a foster child charity, argues that no child under five should be placed with carers who smoked.
If this mandate expands, it will raise the interesting question of whether cities should be liable for placements with smoking foster parents. These groups are citing a lot of research showing harm caused by second-hand smoke.
The ban obviously rejects the notion that smokers can simply pledge not to smoke in the house.
For the full story, click here.
Well, I think there should be a law banning having women who have children out of wedlock from adopting. After all, children of single mothers commit more crimes, spend more time in prison, have worse health results, fewer days of attendance at school, etc etc. As a matter of fact we should ban people who drink or take drugs or commit adultery or lie from adopting as well. In fact we should ban everybody who isn’t perfect from adopting. Geesh
i think thats a great idea,i think smokeing should be banned for everything for ever it should be illigal to smoke,just like taking drugs. I hate the fact people are dieing nearly every day beacuase of smokeing my uncle died at the early age of 47 and my grandad of whom i never met died of smokeing at the early age of 55. its just terrible, i just hate it,hate,hate,hate it!!!!!!!!!
Ha! What happens if those fostered kids start smoking at an early age as many kids do nowadays and the foster parents are still nonsmokers? Are the kids then taken away from the compliant parents who have themselves quit smoking to foster the kids?
Catch-22 big government meddling and a terrible policy. I hate second-hand smoke but this is nonsense.
Aah yes, let’s make it a little harder for smoking childwishers to have a fulfilling life. I have an idea, a ban from procreating for anyone that comes up with an idea as ludicrous as this one.
That’s kind of weird. What about parents that have kids and smoke? What about those that drink? Should those parents not be allowed to have kids?
I don’t see how smoking can affect one’s ability to parent. I know plenty of people who smoke and have kids. And they’re great parents.
The only issue I have with smoking in general is that it’s rude to smoke in a car with non smokers and smoking in restaurants is just disgusting. I mean, who wants cigarette tasting bacon and eggs for breakfast? ugh. And I really don’t think smoking around children is fair to their young lungs