The icy hand of Bloombergism extends its reach:
Pro-smoking protesters rallied Thursday in front of the Bulgarian parliament in Sofia holding banners that read “Ban Increases Number of Smokers,” and “Equal Rights for Smokers and Non-Smokers”.
Protesters demanded repeal of the a partial ban that obliges hospitality establishments to separate areas for smokers and non-smokers – and denounced calls to extend the ban to a complete prohibition on smoking in closed public spaces.
The rally, which mustered several hundred people, was co-organized by the Bulgarian Association of Hotel and Restaurant Owners.
Meanwhile, restaurants and bar owners in Bulgaria staged a symbolic “empty tables” protest to highlight what they say is the adverse effect of the existing ban on their businesses.
They said the state should inspect implementation of smoke-free areas, but a full ban would effectively kill off their businesses.
Bulgaria ranks among the top five European countries in terms of smoking rates, both in the general population and among the young.
December 6th, 2012 | 5:55 pm
The icy hand of Bloombergism . . .
I really can’t fathom what prompts you to mock the banning from public places something that is known to kill people. Nobody in New York, and it seems nobody in Bulgaria, has been required to give up smoking. They have been required to stop putting smoke into the air where unwilling bystanders will have to breathe it. I really don’t see how a Christian can smoke in good conscience, unless they are already so addicted they just can’t stop. As they say, cigarettes are the only product which, if used as directed, will kill you. (Not entirely true, but mostly so.) My mother, a lifelong smoker, died of lung cancer. There was no question of why she got it.
If people want to take the risk of developing lung cancer, I don’t suppose we can stop them. But we certainly have the right to stop them from making other people breathe second-hand smoke.
Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have a miscarriage than those who don’t. If oral contraceptives are abortifacients, so are cigarettes.