Smokers No Longer Allowed Foster Children
The East London borough of Redbridge will no longer allow smokers to be foster parents.
From The Scotsman:
The ban, which was passed unanimously at a cabinet meeting of Redbridge Council last night, means that children in the east London borough will not be placed with foster carers who smoke after January 2010.
Councillors say the move is crucial in protecting children.
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, children shouldn’t be inhaling second-hand smoke because it is a health risk. On the other hand, this is discrimination, isn’t it? I’m actually a big smoker’s rights guy in certain areas. For example, I think it should be legal for me to start an airline that lets people smoke
Wouldn’t it be cool if this helped push good people to quit smoking? I basically agree with the comments above. I, too, am torn. Does anyone remember the guy who had to have weight loss surgery (gastric bypass or lap-band, can’t recall) in order to adopt the boy he was fostering? I think he was even related to the kid. I would hate to have to be the person whose shoulders it fell on to make sure the right balance of safety was struck for kids in need.
Good comments all. Laura, I agree with you, it just doesn’t feel right. Frankly, leahsmom’s comment goes a long way towards dispelling any conflicted feelings I might be having about this.
I agree with comments #1 and 2. 2ndhand smoke is clearly not a good thing, but neither, I believe is such intrusion into one’s home. Will the government eventually have the power to remove kids from a (biological, adoptive or foster) home for this infraction, or any others that might be deemed harmful in the future?
It makes a whole lot more sense than banning gay people from fostering/adopting.
Will smokers no longer be able to adopt, then? My parents were both smokers – if they hadn’t adopted me, I might have ended up in an orphanage.
I think I have the same misgivings as you. I’m a former smoker myself, and I know the harm second-hand smoke can do. But I have some worries about the law:
1. Will they ban overweight people from being foster parents because parents who have food issues may spread them environmentally to the kids?
2. How will they proove that a parent is a smoker or not? Carbon monoxide tests? Or could parents just lie?
It feels wrong to me, I think, but, I, too, am kind of surprised at my response.
I think a better option would be to require foster parents who do smoke not to do around the children in their care–come to think of it, that’s good advice for any parent who smokes.