Pregnant women would be legally barred from smoking under a proposal being considered by lawmakers in Arkansas, the Associated Press reported June 13.

State Rep. Bob Mathis (D-Hot Springs) said that fellow lawmakers should study whether the health risks facing children born to smokers warrants a ban. Gov. Mike Huckabee said the proposal made sense, at least from a health perspective.

"I haven't thought it through all together in terms of the legality of it," Huckabee said. "From a health standpoint, heck yeah, it makes sense."

But both Huckabee and Mathis are about to leave office, meaning the proposal has little chance of progressing. Mathis also proposed a bill making it illegal to smoke in a car with children in car seats. Huckabee recently signed that bill into law, along with a measure banning smoking in indoor workplaces.

"There are a lot of things pregnant women shouldn't do. That's just one of them," Huckabee said, adding: "The point is, if you're going to make that against the law you're probably going to have to extend it to all the other things that are equally unhealthy for the child."