Smoking Cigarettes Affects The Body - 1172 Words

Smoking cigarettes affects the body in many ways, but despite this observation, 22% of all women still smoke, and approximately 12%-22% of these women smoke while they are pregnant (Davies par.1, 7). Smoking has always been popular among women since the 1900s. For example, posters and movies portrayed women who smoked as independent, hardworking people. These portrayals attracted many women all over the nation and began to shape the way people saw women who smoked. Also, smoking has always been considered a given right to the people because it is legal, but it is also a growing concern since it has many disadvantages when it comes to pregnancy. However, for a long period of time, the world did not know the effects smoking had on our†¦show more content†¦Women who reduce these chances are becoming more aware of the effects of smoking. For example, because of recent research, smoking cessation programs have been established according to Mental Health Weekly Digest (par. 5). Th ese programs are a great way for women to quit smoking while pregnant, thus, decreasing the likelihood that a child will be born prematurely. Also, if a baby is smaller in size, then they are more vulnerable to illness and death as well (Campos and Brown 5). These factors can be easily avoided by convincing women to not smoke while they are expecting a baby. One might object that medical advances make it possible for premature babies to live normally. However, these medical advances can be extremely expensive, and it is still a risk to smoke while pregnant because certain circumstances may not be able to pay for the treatment. Furthermore, not smoking reduces the risk of prematurity and ensures a greater chance of having a healthy delivery. Additionally, women who actively smoke during their pregnancy are more likely to have a miscarriage. Scholar Schwartz claims that â€Å"as many as 7.5% of all miscarriages† are caused by smoking (par. 1). For that reason, women who do not smoke while they are pregnant decrease the odds of becoming a part of that percentage. Miscarriages have always been an obvious result of smoking during pregnancies, but it is still a growing problem (Scwartz par. 4). Because of