A Family Court judge in Western Australia has restricted a mother from smoking at home in a bid to protect a 10-year-old boy from the effects of breathing second-hand cigarette smoke.
The boy's father took the matter to court after his son complained he did not want to return to the family home because his mother and grandfather, also a resident, were heavy smokers.
The ruling is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia.
Well why not RUN AWAY FROM HOME then, you little snot? Christ, I don't like smoking either, and I think I've only become even more sensitive to other people's cigarette smoke since Dad quit smoking 4 years ago. But, that said, I still respect people's right to smoke where they're allowed to, because guess what? CIGARETTES AND OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS ARE ACTUALLY LEGAL! People actually are entitled to smoke in areas that are not designated as smoke-free zones! And the last time I checked, the family home has not yet been designated as such. To be sure, we know people who do ask you not to smoke inside their house, but that's their decision and fair enough (they don't mind you smoking out on the patio, though). But to have a judge order you not to do something perfectly legal in your own home is a worrying thing.