Our Rights v. the Rights of our Children

A new law took effect in California yesterday, making it illegal to smoke tobacco in a car where a minor is present.

http://www.topix.com/us/2008/01/california-smoke-free-cars-with-minors-law-goes-into-effect#lastPost

Now as far as what goes on in California, my opinions are usually 100% contrary, but this is one of the few things that I support. Some will surely say (as I have read in comments on other blogs) that this law is "fascist" that the government is taking away "our rights", but what about the rights of our children? We have laws requiring us to educate our children. We have laws against abusing our children both emotionally and physically. How is it not abusive ot expose your child to secondhand smoke in an enclosed space? Study after study shows that secondhand smoke can have dire consequences for those who breathe it.

Check out this fact sheet from the American Lung Association:

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=39857

Is the right to subject our children to something clearly hazardous to their health a right worth fighting for? I think not.

There are those who will say that this law is merely another step on the way to outlawing tobacco outright. I don't think this law is about outlawing tobacco, but about protecting children. It is true that with this and other recent legislation it has become more and more difficult for a smoker to indulge at work or in public locations, but from my perspective this legislation is more about protecting the rights of nonsmokers than taking away smokers' rights.

It is true that I am not a smoker, which perhaps makes it difficult for a smoker to take my opinions seriously, but as a nonsmoker I have the right to breathe clean air just as much as a smoker has the right to pollute his or her lungs. Should there be certain public places where smokers can smoke and nonsmokers can choose to avoid? Absolutely. But children don't have the choice to get out of a car where someone is smoking. Children are at the mercy of the adults responsible for them at any given time. So their rights need to be protected, and when adults lack the common sense to keep their children safe, sometimes legislation is necessary.

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