Background on the Controversy Surrounding Freedom of Choice versus Essay

Background on the Controversy Surrounding Freedom of Choice versus Smoking Ban - Essay Example VII. Smoking publicly is another major issue because smokers are not only hurting themselves as they smoke in public places but also damaging the health of other surrounding non-smokers. A. Statistics on Passive Smoker Deaths B. Chronic health problems traced to passive smoking. VIII. Smoking is uncontrollable and is spreading at an extremely fast rate, due to both peer pressure and advertising. A. Teen smoking statistics B. Causes and consequences of underage smoking. IX. Advertisement is another factor which has greatly contributed to the fast growing rate of smoking among teens. A. Economics of tobacco advertisement B. Proliferation of tobacco ads. C. Consequence of tobacco advertisements X. The harms of smoking are such that it is imperative to pass a ban on public smoking as a means of discouraging the habit and limiting its harms, irrespective of arguments claiming that doing so would be a violation of inalienable human freedoms. In social, political and legal environments which uphold freedom of choice and personal liberty, the decision of some governments and local authorities to ban smoking in public places has been a subject of controversy and debate. In reaction to Scotland's decision to ban smoking in public places, Gillian Bowditch expressed concern over the way that governments are increasingly using the health concern and public welfare argument as an "excuse to invade personal freedom, reduce freedom of choice and create an artificially homogenous society." This is not an isolated reaction as in response to the Minnesotan federal government's proposal to ban smoking in public areas, Craig Westover argues that this is contrary to the US Constitution and against the very principles that the United States was...In reaction to Scotland's decision to ban smoking in public places, Gillian Bowditch expressed concern over the way that governments are increasingly using the health concern and public welfare argument as an "excuse to invade personal freedom, reduce freedom of choice and create an artificially homogenous society." This is not an isolated reaction as in response to the Minnesotan federal government's proposal to ban smoking in public areas, Craig Westover argues that this is contrary to the US Constitution and against the very principles that the United States was founded upon. The US Constitution and the country's founding principles emphasise the inalienable right to individual liberty and freedom of choice, with the implication being that the government, whether local, national or federal, does not possess the right to prohibit smoking in publicly owned properties (Westover). It is therefore apparent that the ban on smoking has been interpreted by some as a dangerous transgression against individual liberty and freedom of choice.