Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Miss. Obesity Bill Stepping on Toes, As Intended

A bill proposed by a Mississippi lawmaker to ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers has no chance of being approved - but this was never the lawmaker's goal in the first place.

Republican Rep. John Read of Gautier filed a bill asking that it be illegal for restaurants with more than five seats to serve people who are obese. Restaurants that failed to abide by the new law would have their permits revoked.

The real purpose of the bill: "I was trying to shed a little light on the number one problem in Mississippi." Read the rest of the article...

I agree with the direction this bill is headed, although denying people of their food would be like banning cigarettes from smokers, or alcohol from alcoholics. We need to shed light on obesity, much like we did on smoking when we learned that smoking causes cancer. A shift in our attitude toward obesity would help more people realize they need help to get over their addiction to food. 


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