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Paying pregnant mums to stop smoking

13 replies

mumnosbest · 28/01/2015 18:49

I'll keep this brief as I don't want to start ranting but... are we really going to use tax-payers money to bribe women to stop smoking. Isn't the health of a child enough of an incentive? If a test case showed 20% gave up smoking for money then it wasn't exactly a success anyway and how would you prove that you had given up?

OP posts:
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PuffinsAreFictitious · 29/01/2015 07:12

I would imagine the same way as you have to prove you've stopped in any smoking cessation clinic.

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Mouthfulofquiz · 29/01/2015 07:29

I sort of don't have a problem with this - it will potential save a lot more than it spends (long term health cost) and if a little bit of money helps to relieve some of the feelings of stress and unhappiness that is causing people to need to smoke then so be it. Life is more complicated thn just saying the health of the baby should be enough. I used to think like this when I was a young health care professional but now I'm not so naive.

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FriendlyAppleEater · 29/01/2015 14:44

If you have a problem with this you might as well stop all treatment for any self-inflicted conditions with the NHS. DP is an Occupational Therapist & 80% of the people she sees are in hospital having suffered diseases and accidents as they are fat, drink too much, smoke etc

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SarahManning · 29/01/2015 20:03

Its 20% MORE than would have quit otherwise. Those who don't quit don't cost any money because they don't get the payments.

Would you rather use taxpayers money to keep their premature babies alive?

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Pixel · 29/01/2015 20:34

I don't think it's a good idea actually. How long before women who are thinking of getting pregnant take up smoking for a while first so they can get paid for 'stopping'?

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Mouthfulofquiz · 29/01/2015 21:25

Pixel - I don't think so. The cost of starting smoking would hardly be covered by shopping vouchers. Quite a daily-mail ish view of the women targeted by this initiative. Confused

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Pixel · 29/01/2015 23:55

Well who are the women targeted then?

The OP doesn't say, and also doesn't specify shopping vouchers are to be used. Has anyone got a link to any more information please?

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morethanpotatoprints · 30/01/2015 00:00

God help us, not another one.

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ShadowSpiral · 30/01/2015 00:05

BBC link to smoking voucher story

AIBU thread about paying pregnant mum's to stop smoking

Plenty of ranting going on in the AIBU thread. FWIW, I think it's a good idea and one that will save the NHS money if it gets more pregnant smokers to quit.

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morethanpotatoprints · 30/01/2015 00:07

Shadow Thanks

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Pixel · 30/01/2015 00:22

Thanks, I hadn't seen the other thread, sorry. Looks as though it will take me a while to read!

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SmokeFreeBaby · 11/02/2015 20:47

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hereandtherex · 12/02/2015 14:48

Why not let the child sue the mother if it has any birth defect/health problems?

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