Pregnant women in France will be paid to stop smoking

What an unusual initiative.

French hospitals are now offering money to pregnant women who smoke if they give up nicotine. As part of a new study to test the impact of financial incentives, expectant mothers who commit to giving up will be paid gradually in €20 vouchers, with the chance to earn up to €300 if they remain non-smokers. The study, carried out by Paris’ public hospital system in association with the National Cancer Institute, will test whether offering pregnant women money will convince them to stop smoking throughout their pregnancy. Women over 18 who are less than four months pregnant can apply to take part in the study, if they smoke more than five manufactured cigarettes (or three rollies) each day. The use of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, or other tobacco products, is not allowed, and participants must submit to frequent testing to check they are abiding by these rules. It's been proven that smoking during pregnancy can reduce the oxygen supply to the foetus, which increases the risk of stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight. According to French health minister Marisol Touraine, France was "the European country where pregnant women smoke the most”.