Free Argumentative Essays: Is Obesity A Personal Choice?

Is obesity a personal choice? Is it the government’s place to step in to help this growing health issue? There are many differing opinions regarding this complex issue. It is easy to disregard this issue and push it to the side. But at the rate this epidemic is growing, one or one’s family could be at risk and not even know it. By evaluating information from different sources, I will explain the different sides of the obesity epidemic and why I believe government involvement is necessary. Though the prejudice overweight individuals are commonly faced with can be crippling to one’s body image, obesity is now ranked second among preventable causes of death, which is why it is time the government makes steps, such as mandatory weight screenings for children and taxes on unhealthy foods, to …show more content…
There are many people who believe that there is too much pressure put on by society to look a certain way. Though this is true to an extent, this idea leads those individuals to promote acceptance for those who are overweight. Referring back to “Wages of Sin,” aside from explaining the medical risks posed as a result of obesity, she also examined the prejudice overweight individuals face, saying that many people are guilty of thinking of overweight individuals as “self-indulgent, sloppy, lazy, morally lax, lacking qualities of self-denial and impulse control that our society values and rewards.”(Prose pg. 182) The opposition believes that these types of judgments are not fair and are why people should promote acceptance of those who are overweight and even obese. Another point of opposition is that obesity is a personal choice, and should be dealt with by that individual. Those who support this idea do not believe in having to pay taxes that would give medical care to obese individuals or support mandatory weight screening for children and