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Fine women who smoke during pregnancy
Friday, 23 July 2010 12:57 | 
Dr. Giorlandino: Foetus is a non-smoker whose health must be safeguarded
All women who smoke during pregnancy should be fined, Dr. Claudio Giorlandino, a gynaecologist and President of the Italian Society of Prenatal Diagnosis has suggested.
Despite knowing that smoking is not only harmful to them but also to their babies during pregnancy, many women continue to smoke during pregnancy without taking into consideration and respecting the baby growing in them, Dr. Giorlandino said.
In 2005 a law came into force in Italy banning people from smoking in all enclosed public places including bars, restaurants, discotheques and offices. The law aims at protecting against passive smoking and discouraging smokers.
It obliges restaurants, bars, offices and factories to prohibit tobacco use on their premises unless they are able to provide special sealed off rooms with smoke extractors.
Businesses which fail to comply with the law risk a fine of up to 2,000 Euros while smokers themselves risk a fine of up to 275 Euros. The fine can double if one smokes near a child or a pregnant woman.
Dr. Giorlandino said that while the law doesn’t ban smoking in general, it bans smoking in enclosed public places in order to safeguard the health of non-smokers. Since the foetus is a non-smoker, his health should be safeguarded in accordance with the law.
It should not be forgotten, Dr. Giorlandino said, that the law states that the fine can be doubled if one smokes near a pregnant woman.
He said the cigarette contains nicotine and carbon monoxide which affect placental circulation and foetal oxygenation. This means that smoking reduces the quantity of oxygen and nutrient substances which should reach the foetus through the placenta, Dr. Giorlandino said.
He advised the future mothers to either stop smoking or in any case to make efforts to reduce it before becoming pregnant. In this way they’ll have a healthy pregnancy and avoid many problems.
By Stephen Ogongo