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A smoker lights a cigarette in a undated file photo. Redbridge Council's cabinet of London agreed Tuesday night to a ban on placing children with foster carers who smoke unless there are exceptional circumstances.
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A council has become the first in London to rule that smokers will no longer be able to foster children.
Redbridge Council's cabinet agreed Tuesday night to a ban on placing children with foster carers who smoke unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The local authority in northeast London said the decision, which will come into force in 2010, was made to protect children from the "damaging effects of passive and second-hand smoke."
Other councils around the country have introduced similar measures, particularly relating to very young children, but Redbridge's ban is thought to be the most far-reaching.
"We know this is a difficult issue because some people will feel it is an intrusion on personal freedoms," said Councilor Michael Stark.
"But we also know that smoking increases the risk of serious illness in childhood. On balance, we have decided children in our care shouldn't grow up breathing second-hand smoke."
The council cited scientific evidence that showed passive smoking caused lung cancer and childhood respiratory disease.
Existing smokers will be told of the new policy and given help to quit.
The Fostering Network, a charity which represents groups involved in fostering, said it believed no child under five should be placed with carers who smoked.
However the charity, which estimates there is a shortfall of some 10,000 carers, said it did not want potentially good foster parents to be put off because they had an occasional cigarette.
Tobacco lobby groups said the move was part of an "ongoing campaign to stigmatize smokers."
"It's going to exclude people who could be outstanding foster parents," said a spokesman for pro-smoking group Forest.
"It sends out an insidious message that smokers in general are unfit parents and I don't think any politician has the right to do that."
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(Agencies)
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英國(guó)倫敦某區(qū)政府日前通過一項(xiàng)禁令，規(guī)定吸煙者不可收養(yǎng)小孩。這一禁令在倫敦還是首例。
位于倫敦東北部的雷德布里奇區(qū)內(nèi)閣于上周二晚通過該禁令。禁令規(guī)定，除非有特殊情況，否則吸煙者不可收養(yǎng)小孩。
雷德布里奇區(qū)政府稱，決定頒布這一禁令是為了讓兒童免受被動(dòng)吸煙或 “二手煙”的危害。該禁令將于2010年開始實(shí)施。
英國(guó)其他一些地方政府也采取了類似的禁煙措施，尤其針對(duì)一些年齡很小的孩子。但雷德布里奇的這項(xiàng)禁令被認(rèn)為是其中影響最大的。
議員邁克爾-斯塔克說：“我們知道這是一個(gè)艱難的決定，因?yàn)橐恍┤藭?huì)覺得這侵犯了他們的個(gè)人自由。”
他說：“但同時(shí)，我們也很清楚吸煙會(huì)增加兒童患疾病的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。經(jīng)過權(quán)衡后，我們決定，不應(yīng)該讓生活在我們這一轄區(qū)的孩子受到二手煙危害。”
雷德布里奇地區(qū)政府稱，有科學(xué)證據(jù)表明，被動(dòng)吸煙會(huì)導(dǎo)致肺癌和兒童呼吸道疾病。
該區(qū)政府將告知吸煙者這一新政策，并會(huì)幫助他們戒煙。
兒童領(lǐng)養(yǎng)慈善機(jī)構(gòu)“領(lǐng)養(yǎng)社區(qū)”稱，五歲以下的兒童的確不能由吸煙者領(lǐng)養(yǎng)。
但該組織稱，他們也擔(dān)心一些條件很好但偶爾吸煙的人也會(huì)因此被拒之門外。目前該機(jī)構(gòu)還需要約1萬名領(lǐng)養(yǎng)者，
煙草業(yè)游說團(tuán)體稱，此舉是“對(duì)吸煙者的一種污辱’”。
吸煙支持組織Forest的發(fā)言人說：“這項(xiàng)禁令會(huì)把一些很出色的領(lǐng)養(yǎng)者拒之門外。”
“這等于是在說，吸煙的人都不適合做父母。可誰都沒有剝奪別人做父母的權(quán)利。”
（實(shí)習(xí)生許雅寧 英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯）
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