Am I alone in being outraged by this? It's one thing for our government to provide information to consumers, so that they can make informed decisions, but these images are designed (obviously) to frighten and intimidate. Since when did we empower government to hector us?
I should point out (1) that I have never smoked, (2) that I view smoking as stupid and disgusting, and (3) that individuals have no moral right, and should have no legal right, to smoke in the vicinity of others, since secondhand smoke is harmful. Part of living in a free society is having a right to harm oneself.
Addendum: Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, is quoted as saying that the images will "help . . . prevent children from smoking." Does she have any evidence for that bold claim? I don't have any evidence for the contrary claim, but I do know two things: (1) that children don't reason properly about risks and (2) that children are rebellious. I don't think these images will have any effect on children, except perhaps to embolden them to smoke.
Addendum 2: Remember the progressive opposition to laws that require women to view images of their fetuses before having an abortion? It was always said that this was not meant to provide information but to frighten and intimidate. So let me get this straight. It's okay for our government to frighten and intimidate people into not doing something that is detrimental to their health, but not okay for government to frighten and intimidate women into not killing their babies. The progressive mind is something to behold. It is unprincipled, undisciplined, and opportunistic.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 