Smokers who refuse to give up smoking and themselves are refused expensive public medical treatment or surgery for complaints that are aggravated by smoking, are complaining of discrimination. They argue that drinkers of alcohol, suicides, or people with sporting injuries or other self-inflicted injuries are not refused medical treatment, and that the national health service should ensure equal treatment for all people regardless of lifestyle.
Groups of Bassaji volunteers, wearing blue jeans and carrying semi-automatic rifles, have been empowered by the Iranian government to eradicate vice in the form of western lifestyle (videos, pop music, improper relationship between sexes, etc.).
The medical profession discriminates on the basis of lifestyle all the time. Every single time any patient is considered for an operation his/her age, sex, weight and general lifestyle (drugs, alcohol, family situation) are taken into account.
Deregulation favours the development of individual freedom and responsibility, namely a world in which people choose for themselves and do not have choices made for them by politicians or self-styled experts. The health fascists, the mandarins of political correctness, the self-styled arbiters of morality are a threat to traditional liberties.
In demanding "equal rights", smokers are in fact demanding completely the opposite. They are demanding to be treated as a special interest group. They are demanding that their smoking be ignored, and that unlike all the other factors which influences a doctor's decision, smoking should not be considered a disadvantage.