# You see a heavily pregnant woman smoking - what do you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258 "2011-03-28T14:20:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/61 "2011-03-29T01:34:52Z")
There’s nothing I could say that would matter. She isn’t going to have some kind of epiphany because stranger at a bus stop tells her smoking is bad for her baby. Everybody knows the dangers of smoking these days. She’s made her decision. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/62 "2011-03-29T01:43:29Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > What forms of population reduction do you oppose? Killing reasonably law abiding and ethical humans over national, religious, ethnic, or racial differences. Killing in self-defense, defense of others or defense of property is acceptable. Killng because somebody doesn’t worship your favorite magical pixie isn’t or worship the same flag isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/63 "2011-03-29T03:14:07Z")
Can I kill someone because they are constantly whistling the theme song to the “Andy Griffith Show” and it’s pissing me off? Need answer fast. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/64 "2011-03-29T03:18:57Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > Killing reasonably law abiding and ethical humans over national, religious, ethnic, or racial differences. Killing in self-defense, defense of others or defense of property is acceptable. Killng because somebody doesn’t worship your favorite magical pixie isn’t or worship the same flag isn’t. And if they don’t worship my fave magical pixie but they’re locked in a cell with me and they’re crying so loud I think I might go crazy and need to smother them? Need answer fast. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/65 "2011-03-29T03:30:37Z")
I’m with the ‘say nothing but quietly judge her and consider her a bogan’ crowd. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/66 "2011-03-29T04:17:41Z")
Well said. 😃 Last time I checked we live in a country that respects our right to be stupid. Smoking at all is a dumb idea. But, it’s their choice. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > There’s nothing I could say that would matter. She isn’t going to have some kind of epiphany because stranger at a bus stop tells her smoking is bad for her baby. Everybody knows the dangers of smoking these days. She’s made her decision. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/69 "2011-03-29T04:23:50Z")
Spam reported. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/70 "2011-03-29T04:59:07Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > Spam reported. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/71 "2011-03-29T09:33:36Z")
Hell, smoking is probably the least of her problems. I figure that _my_ life is none of _her_ business, and since she would obviously be respecting that, I’d probably just smile and secretly wish her well. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/72 "2011-03-29T09:56:35Z")
I have a friend who smoked her entire pregnancy. She’d asked her doctors about quitting while she was pregnant. They put her on the patch, which made her blood pressure go high and it messed up her thyroid medication. So her regular doctor and OB/GYN said it was OK, but try to cut down. She did cut down to a pack a week and switched to natural tobacco instead of name brand cigarettes. I voiced my mild displeasure that she smoked while pregnant, but only once and dropped the subject after that. Her baby was just born, she was 8 lbs. So much for ‘lowered birth weight’ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/73 "2011-03-29T10:30:29Z")
Not that I would ever say anything to a stranger, but it’s worth noting that smoking while pregnant is pretty firmly linked to a higher rate of stillbirths and miscarriages, not just low birth rate. So “My mom smoked and I turned out fine” is not really a compelling argument: the babies that don’t turn out at all aren’t here to comment. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/74 "2011-03-29T10:41:26Z")
I would say something, _just in case_ she doesn’t know the risks. But if she replies “yeah, I know”, or whatever, I’d leave it at that. There may be more here than meets the eye. Without going into detail, many times in my life strangers have tried to offer advice / warnings. 99% of the time they are telling me something I know, or indeed something I know to be _incorrect_. But it only becomes annoying if they’re insistent. If they think, from a casual glance, they understand your situation better than you do. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/75 "2011-03-29T11:01:39Z")
…and what exactly would you say, **Mijin**? The well-meaning are often not prepared for the answer they may get. A few months ago, I parked the car and walked directly across the road to the shop - simply to buy a newspaper. It was a hot day. My dog was in the back seat, the windows were down and she had her nose resting on the window frame watching me. As I waited to cross the road and _return_ to the car, two women approached me. \*Very \*condescendingly, they proceeded to tell me about the dangers of leaving dogs in cars on hot days. “Ten minutes, and that dog will be DEAD!!” one of them spat at me. “Thank you _so_ much for telling me,” I said, “I thought I was going to have to give it fifteen.” So, **Mijin** , if her response to is, “\*Fuckoffyanosybitchandmindyourownfuckenbusiness!” \*will you be offended? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/76 "2011-03-29T11:34:14Z")
Ireland. She already knows so what good would a total stranger telling her again do. She’d most likely just tell me to fuck off and mind my own business. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/77 "2011-03-29T12:22:18Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > …and what exactly would you say, **Mijin**? I would be uber-polite, as I always am. In fact, I’d begin with “Excuse me…” and if it looks like she’s already annoyed I’d just say “never mind”. > [@](#): > > So, **Mijin** , if her response to is, “\*Fuckoffyanosybitchandmindyourownfuckenbusiness!” \*will you be offended? Yes, because this would be a disproportionate response. As I alluded before: people used to offer me “helpful” advice all the time (I used to have a noticeable medical condition). I was never rude to any of them, except if they thought they knew better than I did, and weren’t listening. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/78 "2011-03-29T12:41:14Z")
I’m picturing a heavily pregnant woman standing at a bus stop–on a steaming hot Houston summer day. Or during a miserable Northern winter. While the yuppies drive by & go _tsk, tsk_ because she’s got a ciggy in her hand. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/79 "2011-03-29T13:16:56Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I would be uber-polite, as I always am. I am skeptical that there is any polite way to nose into a stranger’s business in such a situation. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/80 "2011-03-29T13:25:23Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I would be uber-polite, as I always am. I would guess 99% of the time it wouldn’t matter, you’d get shit no matter what. Almost everyone in the western world would know the issues with smoking and if they are still smoking while pregnant they know they are doing wrong. Generally people in that situation attack when questioned I have found. They are almost waiting on someone to stick their beak in so they can tell them to fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/81 "2011-03-29T13:31:27Z")
My favorite mom story - when she was pregnant with her five 6-foot or taller sons (and one daughter, but she’s not 6-foot so doesn’t count), the MD told her she had to give up either smoking, drinking, or coffee. She chose coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258/82 "2011-03-29T13:40:26Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Not that I would ever say anything to a stranger, but it’s worth noting that smoking while pregnant is pretty firmly linked to a higher rate of stillbirths and miscarriages, not just low birth rate. So “My mom smoked and I turned out fine” is not really a compelling argument: the babies that don’t turn out at all aren’t here to comment. This sounds a little cruel, but…and? I have the right to terminate my pregnancy. That right extends to making decisions during my pregnancy that may or may not terminate that pregnancy. If I decide the cigarette is worth the risk of miscarriage, what business is it of yours? (Obviously, if you are pro-life, this line of reason doesn’t hold. But as a pro-choice person, I’m really not caring if you make decisions that do not end in live birth.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-see-a-heavily-pregnant-woman-smoking-what-do-you-do/576258.md?page=5)