UK Docs: Don't Treat Fat People

Oh, great: "I'll set your arm that got broken in a car accident after you've lost 20 pounds." Feh. And yeah, I can totally see it as a "rationing" decision because of lack-of-funds in NHS. I know this is opening up a can of worms, but I think we in the US need to be VERY VERY careful before we decide on some kind of nationalized health care, lest it come to that point here - or lest it come to the point of them refusing to treat anyone over 85, because they've "lived long enough already," or refuse to treat the profoundly disabled, etc., etc.

So, alcoholics and other addicts are to be denied treatment? Yeah, that makes LOADS of sense. You've got a disease, so you don't deserve to see a doctor! Only healthy people get that privilege! Of course, fatness is not a disease. So... maybe only healthy people who look like we think they should look get that privilege.

"Hey, you chose to ski down that double black diamond run--you can just suffer the consequences of your two broken legs!" Anyhow, aren't we all addicted to food? Since we, like, need it to stay alive and all? I am also addicted to oxygen. And water.

One word: outrageous. No matter the reason for it.

Oh yeah, and we know that all fat people in the UK must be fat because of eating themselves silly, because that English food is just sooooo good. Sigh.

Actually, from what I saw in other reports of this survey, the 40% of doctors who favored withholding treatment were specifically talking about joint surgeries, not about withholding all treatment from fat people. Withholding any kind of health care is bad enough, but I'm not ready to infer that they wouldn't treat a fat person for, say, third-degree burns unless I see some evidence to the contrary. If they're just talking about joint surgeries and joint replacements, I disagree with them strongly but it's not the across-the-board outrage that denying all treatment to fat people would be.

Doctors should immediately cease providing medical care to pregnant women. -Pregnant women require frequent visits to doctors during pregnancy AND after giving birth - they are highly and overly dependent on the healthcare system -Long term (after 18+ years) consequences of pregnancy can be: -Criminal behavior -Drug and alcohol dependency -Earlier (after just 9 months of pregnancy) consequences can be: -Increased familial spending, often on disposable products that may eventually overfill landfills -Abnormally small citizens who are overly dependent on outside resources -Increased national rates of congenital diseases and disabilities -Pregnancy can be potentially fatal to both mother and "child" -It's a sexually transmitted syndrome with results lasting, on average, 70-something years -There is strong evidence that pregnancy is hereditary (if your parents don't have children, it's highly unlikely that you will!) -It usually leads to unsightly WEIGHT GAIN! -Most importantly: it is easily preventable! Doctors continuing to treat pregnant women will only encourage more women to become pregnant. After enough women have had to deal with the consequences of their actions, whatever those consequences may be, people will learn to be more responsible and not participate in such abnormal and abhorrent behavior as reproducing. Remember, reproducing has been encouraged as a natural and even necessary part of human behavior that supposedly keeps our species alive, but that does not mean that it should continue!

Hardly shocking. I spent 4 years on a waiting list for IVF, only to be dumped by the local fertility clinic for being too fat. Funnily enough, my weight hadn't changed during that four years. What did change, however, was the following: - a ruling in Scotland that all health authorities had to offer 3 'free' IVF treatments up until the age of 38. My local clinic treated 10 couples a year - we were number 4 for 2005 when I got dumped. - budget issues Ultimately, I believe the reason I - and any other woman weighing over 180lbs (less in Glasgow) - was dumped was because of my age (referred when I was 32, initial visit when I was 33, 1st IVF cycle supposedly when I was 37), because the success rate is of course lower for women over 35 (but I'm only over 35 because I've been on a waiting list...hmm), and their success rate (I think 19% for live births) will of course go up with younger women... So, no, it doesn't surprise me in the least.

"Actually, from what I saw in other reports of this survey, the 40% of doctors who favored withholding treatment were specifically talking about joint surgeries, not about withholding all treatment from fat people. " What's interesting about that to me is, it's having had a joint operation that now allows me the mobility to get active and healthy, regardless of the fact that I weigh the same as ever. what a bunch of effing morons.

This sounds like a movie, Yes Sir, We're Acting Like Fat Nazis..No Sir, We're not acting like Fat Nazis.