Political Philosophies & Health Ethics: Arguing from a Different Point-of-View
Across the nation, federal, state and local governments are proposing and implementing various measures to combat obesity. Some measures aim to inform and educate individuals and communities about the risks of unhealthy behavior, while others aim to facilitate healthy behaviors.
In some jurisdictions, the following laws or regulations currently exist:
a) Banning certain types of foods (e.g., soft drinks) in public schools, or
b) Disclosing food calorie content in conspicuous locations within restaurants (NYC began in 2006; Philadelphia),
c) Levying taxes on beverage consumption, such as the 1.5 cents-per-ounce soda tax on sugar-sweetened and diet beverages in Philadelphia, or
c) Banning the inclusion of certain ingredients in the production of foods (trans fats in Boston & NYC restaurants; sodium or high fructose corn syrup in processed foods).
In 2014, the Food and Drug Administration announced \’sweeping changes\’ that now require chain restaurants, movie theaters, and pizza parlors across the USA to post calorie counts on their menus. These changes were provisions in Obamacare that were not required for implementation until 2016. Additionally, these rules apply to prepared foods sold in grocery and convenience stores that are intended to feed one person, but not items like loaves of bread or a rotisserie chicken.
Another type of measure aims to encourage and facilitate healthy behaviors through the construction of tax-supported bike paths and walking trails.
In NYC, the Health Department issued citations to those establishments that did not comply with caloric listings. New York City also promulgated regulations requiring all hemoglobin A1c test results to be reported to the Health and Mental Health Department registries.
Finally, US Public Schools are required to provide healthy eating choices, limit access to certain types of food, limit choices in vending machines, and provide breakfast for low income students (in some districts school boards have determined that all students receive free breakfast and lunch).
These actual scenarios illustrates the current movement toward increasingly paternalistic measures to combat obesity. While some view these measures as morally just (i.e., obesity is reaching epidemic proportions and must be addressed by the government), others view these measures as coercive (i.e., \’Big Brother\’ has usurped personal autonomy and freedom of choice).
While the nation realizes that the obesity epidemic is a societal concern that leads to chronic illness and higher healthcare costs, we must consider the following question:
Should laws be tied to freely chosen behaviors, even if those behaviors result in costs for which members of a society must pay either directly or indirectly?
