A couple in England who was trying to adopt a child was
barred from doing so by Staffordshire County council social workers, because
the would-be father was seen vaping an e-cigarette.
After paying over £20,000 for failed fertility treatments, the
couple approached the council in December 2013 and began a long series of tests
to qualify as parents. They went through medical examinations and interviews to
prove they were of sound character and financially capable of raising a child. At
the time, the would-be father was a light smoker of normal cigarettes, but one
of the requirements for adoption is that, in the case of children under five, potential
adopters should not smoke; so the would-be father stopped smoking. He hadn’t had a
real cigarette in months and was using e-cigarettes as a cessation aid, to ease
the nicotine cravings. But when a social worker saw him using the e-cigarette,
everything changed. The next day, the council said it would not place the child
with them, telling the potential father to stop using e-cigs for an entire year
and then reapply.
“When there are so
many children desperate for a family and a stable home, to put up such trivial
barriers is ridiculous,” said the couple, who wish to remain anonymous. “It
made us feel judged and worthless, that you are a lesser person if you smoke e-cigarettes.”
