In South Florida fifteen obstetrics-gynecology practices are refusing to see otherwise healthy women solely because they are overweight. Huh? Isn’t it nice that members of the medical profession can choose to not treat someone because they don’t like their appearance? I suppose that certain doctors in Florida are probably now creating their own Hippocratic Oath to go with their newly discovered ethics.
“I will prevent disease whenever I can except for like, fat chicks that will probably like, give birth to fat kids who will probably then eat all the food in the world while grossing out us good-looking, thin, rich people.
If they can refuse treatment because of being overweight will there some day be doctors who refuse treatment because they think someone is unattractive? What if this belief spreads to other parts of the medical community?
Imagine an ambulance only partially filled after an accident involving several people. The policeman stops the paramedic to ask why he’s leaving when there is still room in the back of the ambulance.
“Oh that, those people over there are ugly. If they wanted us to stop their bleeding or stabilize their injuries they should’ve thought about that before they let themselves get so hideous. We’re just an ambulance crew not plastic surgeons.”
“How about those other people over there?”
“Them? They have terrible haircuts and it seems one person over there is also in need of serious dental work. I know they’re in pain but what can I do? If we start giving emergency medical care to ugly people then we’ll have to give it to fat people and even people who dress poorly. Sometimes you just have to draw the line.”
“Hope I never need medical attention.”
“With all those acne scars on your face you should hope not.”
What if other professions decided to adopt such standards when deciding who they would provide their services?
“Your honor I know the court has appointed me to represent this man but frankly I’d like to be excused.”
“Your reason counselor?”
“Ah, he’s fat, ugly and that orange prison outfit just makes him look like an orange from outer space. I’m going to have to work closely with this person. Can you imagine what it would be like for me to spend hours with him? I get nauseated walking past homeless people. How could I be expected to deal with someone like him?”
“What do you suggest we do?”
“Hey, the Defense Against Fat, Ugly Disgusting Looking People law was recently passed. It states that any person not considered good-looking can be remanded to a fat, ugly colony located on an island in the Pacific Ocean.”
The judge pounds his gavel.
“It is so ordered. The defendant is to be remanded to the fat, ugly colony in the Pacific Ocean.”
As he is being taken away the defendant starts yelling.
“Hey, I forgot to pay a few traffic tickets and now I’m being banished to an island in the Pacific Ocean?”
The judge shrugs his shoulders.
“Look at it this way; you’ll be with your own kind.”
If certain professions can create bogus standards for those they serve can’t we all do that for our work? What would our world be like if coffee shops refused to serve people who didn’t have enough body piercings? How about if drinking establishments posted signs that read “No Tattoos No service?” What would it be like if the rules of a public beach stated that overweight or ugly people are not permitted on the beach unless they are buried in sand? Would there ever be ugly only restaurants? Who determines what’s overweight? Who determines what’s ugly? Personally I hope such standards are never adopted in our society. I’d never be permitted on a beach without being buried in sand, have limited access to restaurants and would probably be living on an island in the Pacific Ocean.
To the credit of the medical establishment in southern Florida many other obstetrics-gynecology practices stated they would treat any pregnant woman regardless of her weight. This is refreshing since obviously weight does not prevent procreation. It may be a health concern that should be addressed but not the determining factor when deciding the medical treatment of a pregnant woman.
Like many other people I am well aware of the obesity epidemic that plagues our country. It seems that every day a new diet or weight loss system fills a commercial on television. There are always amazing examples of people who lost tremendous amounts of weight. We even have television programs dedicated to the topic.
I think the real problem with the doctors in south Florida refusing to treat overweight women was two fold. Not only did they try to punish these women but in doing so they were also ignoring the needs of their unborn children. Unfortunately these actions put a dark cloud over other members of obstetrics-gynecology profession who treat all pregnant women no matter what their weight. Maybe it’s time some doctors follow the Hippocratic Oath instead of their own Hypocritical Oath.
In their ... um ... defense? I found the original article (you didn't give a link -- it's here: www.palmbeachpost.com/health/some-ob-gyns-in-south-florida-turn-away-1479897.html) and they aren't discriminating on the basis of looks. They're discriminating on the basis of possible medical complications, assuming that any overweight woman must be unhealthy in other ways.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that's any better, though.