I could deal better with the Fat Acceptance community if their attitude was, "You know what? We'd rather live less time and less healthily in exchange for not worrying about what we eat and how much we exercise." That would at least make conceivable sense. Instead, though, this movement is actively arguing that there is no problem with being fat, and that is toxic as hell.
Yes, this. To me, this comes down to the concept of informed consent and the ability to make rational health choices for oneself. If you are fully aware of the consequences of your health decisions, then decide on a particular path, it would be ethically (and probably legally) wrong for a physician to force you to do something different.
However, if you have not been provided with correct information (say, because you read Kate Harding's blog), or you cannot understand or refuse to understand the consequences of your decisions (say, because you're a member of the Fat Acceptance movement and don't believe that being overweight carries significant health consequences), you just aren't capable of making an appropriate choice for yourself. At that point, it's the physician's duty to make sure you're aware of the implications of your decisions, at the very least.
I know it's difficult, with our society's stigmas, to be told by someone in authority how detrimental your weight is, even if they don't care about what you look like but rather are concerned about your health. However, I think a physician who doesn't try to make their patients aware of the consequences of overweight/obesity and encourage them to change is as morally wrong as a physician who doesn't offer chemo to their cancer patient.
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Yes, this. To me, this comes down to the concept of informed consent and the ability to make rational health choices for oneself. If you are fully aware of the consequences of your health decisions, then decide on a particular path, it would be ethically (and probably legally) wrong for a physician to force you to do something different.
However, if you have not been provided with correct information (say, because you read Kate Harding's blog), or you cannot understand or refuse to understand the consequences of your decisions (say, because you're a member of the Fat Acceptance movement and don't believe that being overweight carries significant health consequences), you just aren't capable of making an appropriate choice for yourself. At that point, it's the physician's duty to make sure you're aware of the implications of your decisions, at the very least.
I know it's difficult, with our society's stigmas, to be told by someone in authority how detrimental your weight is, even if they don't care about what you look like but rather are concerned about your health. However, I think a physician who doesn't try to make their patients aware of the consequences of overweight/obesity and encourage them to change is as morally wrong as a physician who doesn't offer chemo to their cancer patient.