England

Article is here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26074476

So this article is about a bill that will be voted on Monday in parliament that would ban smoking in cars where children are present. It talks about how many doctors back the bill, and then it says how other countries have already implemented such measures. (It mentioned the US had already implemented such measures, and I was curious, so I looked it up and it turns out that some states have state laws against smoking in cars with children) Then it gives the arguments of the smokers lobbyist, saying that even though smoking in a car with children is "inconsiderate but there is a line that the state shouldn't cross when it comes to dictating how people behave in private places". They say that the government need not tell parents how to raise their children. It then goes on to say that if the bill isn't passed, Labor party will put it in its manifesto.

Personally, the libertarian part of me said let people do what they want, don't let the government dictate how people live their private lives. But I think a bigger part of me thinks that this is a good bill to pass. I think that if you want to smoke alone in your car and harm yourself then great, go ahead. But when there are children present, then by exercising your right to smoke, you would be harming their right to healthy air to breathe. I think if it is with another adult then that is OK because they can either ask you to not smoke or get out of the car, but kids don't really know better and wont take that initiative to prevent it. I am all for letting parents raise their kids how they see fit, but if they are doing something that is so obviously harmful to the kid as this for their own selfish reasons, then there should be at least some kind of consequence.