There is no clear evidence that smoking prior to pregnancy will harm a developing fetus, but it is well documented that smoking during pregnancy is very harmful. It affects the baby's development in utero. Babies of smoking mothers are not as healthy at birth as babies of nonsmoking mothers. Pregnant women who smoke need to quit and give their babies the chance they deserve to be healthy and strong. Since smoking during pregnancy can be fatal to the baby, it should be illegal for pregnant women to smoke.

As a Medical Assistant, I have studied the risks of smoking while pregnant. The following are a few of these risks. The fetus may not get enough oxygen and it may not be getting enough nutrition because the mother may be eating less. The baby may be too small and it may not grow well after birth. The baby may have breathing problems and it may be less healthy and less able to survive than babies of mothers who don't smoke. There are many more risks; these are just a few. If pregnant women quit smoking early in pregnancy it will reduce the risk of harm to their baby. The sooner they stop smoking, the better.

According to the American Lung Association, "Smoking during pregnancy

One good thing has come from the increased price of cigarettes; more pregnant women have quit. "Every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes will reduce smoking among pregnant women by 7 percent. The researchers believe that, because pregnant women are already motivated to quit, they are more influenced by higher cigarette prices to do so" (U.S. Newswire 1). I am more than willing to pay the higher prices if it will get pregnant women to quit smoking. While pregnant women cannot use the patch or chew the nicotine gum to help them quit smoking there is a hypnosis CD specifically designed for pregnant women to help them to quit smoking. This CD cost about $35.00, if the mother cuts her cigarettes back to the 12.5 per day she is spending about two dollars a day, 60 dollars a month. If she can afford this then she can afford the hypnosis CD. There is also a program called LifeSign that gradually decreases your dependency on nicotine for $89.95. There is help for pregnant women to quit smoking, they don't have to do it alone.

There is no excuse to smoking while pregnant. It is a hard habit to break, I know from personal experience. But it is not impossible; especially when there is a growing baby inside of you. According to the book What to Expect When You're Expecting, "When pregnant women smoke, their baby is confined in a smoke-filled womb. The baby's heartbeat speeds, he coughs, and sputters, and worst of all, due to insufficient

It is against the law to kill any human being, unless in self-defense. "Smoking during pregnancy has been linked to some 115,000 miscarriages and 5,600 infant deaths a year" (Eisenberg et al. 54). A baby dying because its mother smoked during pregnancy is not a self-defense but the mother is not held responsible for the death. The mother may not do it intentionally but at this point in time it is impossible to say you did not know it was dangerous to smoke while pregnant. It is posted everywhere; the newest is the billboard on the side of roads with a picture of a pregnant wo

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