Lawmakers in the United Kingdom are pushing to ban smoking in cars when children are present. The legislation is making its way through Parliament and has already been passed as part of a bill by the House of Commons. The ban, supported by the country's left-wing Labour party, is set to go before the House of Lords, which could vote it into law, according to The Telegraph.
"Adults are free to make their own choices but that often does not apply to children and that's why society has an obligation to protect them from preventable harm," said the UK's shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham.
The ban is raising the ire of some, though, who see a ban on smoking in private vehicles as government overreach. "I think this legislation is very heavy-handed, totally unnecessary and according to surveys 84-percent of adults wouldn't dream of lighting a cigarette in a car, in a small enclosed space with a child present," said Simon Clark, the director of Forest, a UK-based "pro-smoking group."
We want to know what you think. Is the UK government overstepping its boundaries by attempting to regulate what's done in privately owned vehicles, or are they merely defending those who can't defend themselves? Would you support a national ban on smoking in cars containing children in the US? Register your vote in our unofficial poll, and then head into Comments to publish your thoughts.
"Adults are free to make their own choices but that often does not apply to children and that's why society has an obligation to protect them from preventable harm," said the UK's shadow health secretary, Andy Burnham.
The ban is raising the ire of some, though, who see a ban on smoking in private vehicles as government overreach. "I think this legislation is very heavy-handed, totally unnecessary and according to surveys 84-percent of adults wouldn't dream of lighting a cigarette in a car, in a small enclosed space with a child present," said Simon Clark, the director of Forest, a UK-based "pro-smoking group."
We want to know what you think. Is the UK government overstepping its boundaries by attempting to regulate what's done in privately owned vehicles, or are they merely defending those who can't defend themselves? Would you support a national ban on smoking in cars containing children in the US? Register your vote in our unofficial poll, and then head into Comments to publish your thoughts.
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