ouvelle victoire des militants anti-tabac : au Texas, à partir du 1
er janvier 2007, il sera interdit de fumer chez soi ou en voiture si des enfants sont présents.
Comment
les autorités feront-elles appliquer la loi ? J'imagine qu'il n'est pas
question d'installer un détecteur de tabac - et encore moins un
policier - dans chaque maison et chaque auto. Compterait-on sur
l'esprit civique des fumeurs, qui iraient se dénoncer comme un pécheur
va à confesse ?
En attendant des précisions, on peut déjà
s'interroger sur les étapes suivantes. Sera-t-il, demain, interdit aux
personnes sans enfants, vivant seules, de fumer chez elles ou en
voiture ? Sera-t-il, après-demain, interdit à quiconque de fumer au
grand air ou en pleine mer ? Des mesures ultérieures viendront-elles
durcir la législation ?
S'il est vrai que "fumer tue",
comme l'affirment les paquets de tabac, on finira bien par cesser de
tourner autour du cendrier, pour tirer une conclusion logique :
interdire la cigarette.
Le contexte de l'interdiction de fumer pour les "familles d'accueil":
Proposed State Law Bans Smoking In Foster Homes
Four States Have No Smoking Law Or Regulation
POSTED: 3:37 pm CST January 25,
2006
UPDATED: 9:55 pm CST January 25,
2006
HOUSTON -- A proposed state law would ban smoking in foster homes, KPRC Local 2 reported Wednesday.John
Banzhaf heads a national anti-smoking organization called "ASH," which
stands for Action on Smoking and Health. ASH has helped four states
pass legislation to ban foster parents from smoking in their own homes
or vehicles."(Foster children) can't control their environment, so they ought to be entitled to some protection," Banzhaf said."Right
now we really don't have a policy whether or not foster parents can use
tobacco products or smoke around our foster children," said Estella
Olquin, with Harris County Child Protective Services.Maria Douglas was a foster mother to three girls whom she ended up adopting."It
takes a lot to open your home, open up your life in order to serve, to
give back. It's a lot to ask people to volunteer," she said.Douglas understands the need for a healthy smoke-free environment for children, but she is worried.Harris
County CPS currently has 4,000 children in its custody and a shortage
of families able to pass extensive criminal and financial background
checks, as well as annual safety inspections."Is a child sitting
in a shelter a better situation than in a foster home that would've
been a loving home except that someone smoked in that home? I don't
know that answer," Douglas said.But ASH believes that the government should supersede all parental rights when it comes to secondhand smoke."You
can't have sex in front a child. You can't abuse alcohol in the
presence of foster children. Both actions aren't prohibited, but it's
harmful to the child. So does exposing them to a known carcinogenic
substance," Banzhaf said.The rules and requirements for foster homes in Harris County are quite lengthy.For example, the Douglas family will spend $3,400 on home inspections just to maintain their license."When
there are unintended consequences of not being able to recruit and
retain foster families, in the end the kids lose. The kids lose,"
Douglas said.The Douglases do not smoke but are aware that CPS
is proposing a new smoking ban in the home and cars of foster parents.
But that change has to be approved by the Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services."We really think this is healthier for children. But whether it passes or not is up to the public," Olquin said.
CPS said it welcomes
e-mails and letters responding to the foster family smoking ban proposal. Letters should be sent to 2525 Murworth, Houston, 77054.A public hearing is scheduled for March 23 in Austin.Meanwhile,
ASH is gearing up to convince Texas lawmakers to pass a bill that bans
all smoking in vehicles where children are present. The penalty would
be as harsh as child restraint and seatbelt violations in Texas.Four
states -- Vermont, Oklahoma, Washington and Maine -- currently have a
ban on smoking in foster homes as a law or regulation. In addition,
many California cities have it as an ordinance. Twelve other states are
considering it.
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