Xenophobia Against the Obese

This story is unbelievable. New Zealand is refusing to let a woman emigrate from the UK to be with her husband because she is too fat. Wouldn’t want to let someone in who might cost the nationalized health care system too much money, don’t you know. From the story:

Robyn Toomath, a spokesman for Fight the Obesity Epidemic and an endocrinologist, said the BMI limit was valid in the vast majority of people. She said she was opposed to obese people being stigmatised.

“However, the immigration department’s focus is different,” she said. “It cannot afford to import people into the country who are going to be a significant drain on our health resources. “You can see the logic in assessing if there is a significant health cost associated with this individual and that would be a reason for them not coming in.”

Before anyone says, good, you had better be ready to go after all conduct and life circumstances that could cost health care money: How about people who sleep around? Ah, no question that they can be a drain on health care resources: The promiscuous have greater chances of STDs, HIV, unwanted pregnancy and abortion. But then, unlike looking down our noses at the obese, it is politically incorrect to judge people as wrong for having too much sex. Nope. The promiscuous get a pass.

Smokers? Well, that goes without saying, doesn’t it? But it is actually a tougher call than it appears. I mean, look at all the taxes they pay on cigarettes! We wouldn’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, now would we?

People with disabilities? They wouldn’t dare. Unlike the obese, people with disabilities have political clout.

See what happens once this kind of thing begins? It’s like the high school clique thing: Only those with unpopular unhealthy conditions will be punished.

Oh yes, did you hear? In the UK they want to prevent obese women from gaining access to IVF.