An Alabama Appeals Court has set the stage for prosecuting pregnant women who smoke or drink during their pregnancies...and prosecuting parents who expose their children to cigarette smoke too.

     The decision had nothing to do with either cigarettes or liquor, which for the moment are legal, but it is a logical extension to include them in the wake of the decision. The court ruled that using illegal drugs (like meth) while pregnant is a crime against the fetus.

    Next step: even though they are legal, tobacco products and liquor can also harm unborn children, and exposure to cigarette smoke can hurt born children too.

     In fact not eating the right foods and not exercising can too. And living in areas where there is too much smog. And....