Hospital extends smoking ban to nearby sidewalks

By that logic, perhaps we should lobby for nudists to be able to walk down those same sidewalks sans clothing. They aren't hurting anybody...

Well, Smoking right outside a door that everyone uses is just plain inconsiderate, and I don't support it. I just think that if smokers are willing to walk outside and walk away from any entrance/exit doors to have a cigarette, then people should leave them alone.

Also, about smoker's "rights", I think you may be looking at things the wrong way. Let's not talk about smoker's specifically for a minute. It is a common misconception that it is a persons "right" to never be offended or encounter something they would rather avoid. A person's right is to the behavior of their choice, not to control the behavior of others. If a given behavior is deemed to be a significant problem for society in general, then laws may be passed to ban that behavior. However, if no laws exist that ban outdoor public smoking, then people do not have a "right" to tell others they cannot smoke in that setting. This is not about smoker's rights trumping all. This is about people trying to limit the rights of others without any authority to do so.