Obesity To Be Classed As A Disabiity

A question about : Obesity To Be Classed As A Disabiity

The idea that obesity should be classed as a disability is ridiculous. Im all for rights of working people but not all overweight people have conditions which cause them to be. I once weight 14 sstone and wore a size 20 (my own fault) and after hearing severe health warnings from my doctor decided I had to suck it up and do something sharpish even though I cried when I got outside the surgery. I didn't have surgery or weightloss pills I asked to be refered to a NHS dietician and less than 10 months later I was a size 12 and almost 5 stone lighter and over 4 years on I still buy size 12 clothes. This will make employment even more difficult for other people and common sense is needed here.

Best answers:

• Totally agree. It also makes me wonder how many benefit scroungers will suddenly become obese to claim extra money. I appreciate there are many who have medical reasons for their weight but a lot of others can do something about their size if they really wanted to. Just gives the lazy less incentive to sort themselves out.
• Yeah, let's start on removing those who claim severe depression, it's not a physical disabilty afterall. Hell, let's add blindness to this, it's a minor inconvenience right?
  I once weighed 16 stone and I got down to 12 stone but that wasn't an accident, evaluating someones health and their burden on the NHS based on their weight is wrong on so many levels.
  There is no pigeon hole for people that don't conform to 'average' health problems, nor should there be.
• But blindness and severe depression can't be helped.
  Obesity can in some but not all, I think what people are saying is that those that choose to be obese through their own lifestyle choices shouldn't be classed as disabled, however those with underlying health issues that cause obesity should.
• This isn't on topic.
  Severe obesity is a disability under the equalities act.
  It causes a long-lasting disadvantage compared to otherwise similar people.
  Merely being fat does not count.
  It has to actually stop people being able to do things.
  For example being unable to get through a door or into a taxi, or into a workstation.
  For these people, the law requires that employers and service providers make reasonable adjustments to allow them to work or use services.
  Very few people are in this condition.
• the difference being people CHOOSE not to address their weight issue.
  i am not blind because i CHOOSE not to see.
  Amputees dont CHOOSE not to grown new legs ....
  i am all for treating people fairly and see the morbidly obese in the same way as drug addicts and alcoholics...
  they have a problem they need help with, but one that will be resolved if they CHOOSE.
  to me a disability is something that dramatically affects uyour life, about which you have no choice
  
• I would class obesity as a symptom of an underlying mental illness.
  Depression, anxiety, all can lead to obesity as people with fear of going out and socialising stay away from the daily mail reader type people that enjoy bullying them and making the situation to get worse.
• Now come on, lets face it, Obesity does not happen overnight, it takes a long time.
  It happens because people eat too much, and don't exercise enough.
  Mostly, but not in all cases, it really is as simple as that
• If there is a medical reason for obesity then that should be the disability ie depression, just being fat should not be considered a disability, absolute insult to the genuine disabled to have them in the same categtory as those who choose to over eat and/or take no exercise.
• i totally accept that mental health can be a big issue ... but many mental health problems can be helped, if not cured.
  you see whole families of overweight people ... this is lifestyle issues. how often do you see a family with just one morbidly obese person and the rest are averaged sized?
  as has been said ... no one goes to sleep a normal weight and wakes up the next morning with a massive weight issue.
  people need to help themselves a bit more insyead of expecting the system to sort out every little self inflicted issue for them.
  by the way , i do think larger people should be accomodated as much as usual ( larger chairs etc) but when it comes to caalling obesity across the board a disability thats wrong.
  as for a previous poster daying people will gain weight to get benefits ... you really need to grow up a little!
  this issue is about people being treated as disabled for work rights purposes and not as descriptors for benefit purposes.
  and a fairly low proportion of the population would be capable of gaining weight to the degree where they are morbidly obese!
  
• People certainly get fat and stay fat because of their own choices, but it's a difficult issue, some would say that people choose to be depressed too: "I don't now why you don't just snap out of it". Then there those who are in a wheel chair because they chose to play rugby or go rock climbing, or who have lung cancer because they choose to smoke.....
  Where do you draw the line with choices?
• I think that anyone with more than one chin should be penalized... ;-)
• Some poeple like myself are overweight due to genuine medical problems.
  I have an under active thyroid, and polysystic ovary syndrome.
  Both conditions are well known for weight gain.
  I don't sit there and eat loads of crap, and try to lead a healthy diet.
  I also have a heart condition which makes exercising difficult as I get out of breath so quickly.
  It really annoys me that when people are big they are called nasty names and are made to feel less about themselves.
  Being overweight as in my case is due to medical problems, and not lifestyle choice.