Phil Gingrey: “Without question probably the most common condition that we see in smoking moms is something called toxemia of…”

“Without question probably the most common condition that we see in smoking moms is something called toxemia of pregnancy. Toxemia, by the very word, it is a poison. We do not know exactly what that poison is, but something occurs in those moms that develop toxemia. It is not always because of smoking, but frequently it is. And also so often that condition will lead also to pre-term labor and delivery and one of these low birth weight infants. In the extreme, toxemia of pregnancy before birth results in a very, very high blood pressure. It can cause a stroke, a deep coma, one from which sometimes the mother never recovers and the child is lost. So we are talking about one of the worst complications of pregnancy other than just out and out exsanguination from bleeding, which is also a possibility in any pregnancy. But smoking, we see that condition more often. And then, of course, childhood asthma, which I am sure the gentleman has seen plenty of cases of that, youngsters that come in because there is that secondary smoke situation. Not only do they have to suffer with it during the 9 months of pregnancy of their mom; but once they are born, that smoking continues in the household. So it is a huge complication, no question about that.”