they will be required to undergo breathalyser tests

In what will be seen as a controversial move the National Health Service of the United Kingdom will pay women up to £100 if they can promise to quit smoking completely during their pregnancy. The scheme will pay the £100 over the term of the pregnancy.  They will get £20 after they quit smoking for a week followed by a further £40 if they manage to stay off the cigarettes for a month and if they continue not to smoke for a whole year they will get a further £40 making a total of £100. They will be given the payment in the form of special Co-op vouchers which can be exchanged for anything except alcohol and cigarettes.

In order to check whether the women have been smoking or not they will be required to undergo breathalyser tests to measure the level of carbon monoxide that is present in their bodies every week at local health clinics. They will immediately be banned from receiving further vouchers if the testing proves that they have been smoking.

The reason why this scheme is controversial is that it seems almost a little bit warped that mothers could possibly value £100 over and above the health of their unborn child. Many people including Mr. Douglas Carswell who is a Member of Parliament in the region where the scheme is being tested said, that he thought the simple fact of being pregnant was enough motivation to stay away from cigarettes and that a cash bribe of one hundred pounds should not be necessary for decent people to quit.

He also questioned the fact that the scheme would be abused by some women who would claim that they were smokers just to come and get the handout.

Smoking when pregnant has shown to increase the risk of a number of birth defects for the unborn child and also to significantly lower the birth weight of children. If you are a smoker and pregnant you should seriously consider giving up.