As a general rule I don't comment about smoking during pregnancy unless I'm asked to.
Even then I think very carefully about it and sometimes decline. I'm just not comfortable talking about something that, as a man, is none of my business.
In fact, it's no-one's business except the woman concerned.
If push comes to shove I'd say that pregnant women should listen to their GP or midwife but the decision ultimately rests with the individual and no-one should be put under pressure to quit.
Smoking during pregnancy certainly shouldn't be made illegal, as it is in some US states.
I might also point out that in the Fifties 48 per cent of women smoked – many of them during pregnancy – yet the generation of babies born at that time is living longer than any generation in history.
The two aren't linked, of course, and I accept that advances in medical treatment are partly responsible for people living longer, healthier lives.
Nevertheless, if smoking during pregnancy is as dangerous as the public health establishment would have us believe, one might expect to see far more evidence of harm – within that generation in particular.
Anyway, I was asked last night to comment on a story, the gist of which was that the Royal College of Midwives Wales wants more money to help pregnant women quit smoking and manage their weight.
The crucial word here is 'money' because everyone wants more, especially if the taxpayer is paying. Hence my response:
"Ask the general public and many people would say this is not the best use of taxpayers' money.
"Most people want government to invest in new doctors and nurses, reduce waiting times in A&E, and address care for the elderly.
"Tackling smoking is not a top priority for most people because the health risks are already well known, and if women choose to ignore advice about smoking while pregnant that's a matter for them not government."
Full story: Midwives in cash call to cut smoking in pregnant women (BBC News Wales).
The only thing I'd add – not to this story but to a wider discussion on smoking while pregnant – is something that struck me during the abortion referendum debate in Ireland.
If, as many believe, a woman should have the right to abort a child because it's her body, surely the same argument applies to smoking during pregnancy?
I don't want to spell it out, but the impact of smoking whilst pregnant is hardly on the same scale as an abortion, not even close.
And yet, I'm prepared to wager, many people who correctly, in my opinion, support a woman's right to have an abortion are probably among the first to condemn pregnant women who smoke.
To be clear, I'm not advocating smoking during pregnancy (err on the side of caution would be my suggestion), but it's the hypocrisy that stinks.