In what was considered a groundbreaking decision, Lincoln University has proclaimed that all students with a BMI over 30 are REQUIRED to take a fitness class before graduating! What a novel concept!
The only potential problem I can foresee is that they shouldn’t limit the requirement to those with a higher BMI. Why not make everyone take the course? Students with a BMI of over 30 have already started complaining and there have even been complaints from those that won’t be required to take the course. The complaints are just what you’d expect…..adults can make their own decisions….how can the school interfere with the personal lives of it’s students….if students choose to be fat then let them be fat (not my words).
Yes, adults should be allowed to make their own decisions. But think of all those people who smoke a pack a day and then sue the tobacco company when they get cancer. At what point is an adult FULLY responsible for their health? How can we say something is bad for you (actually prove that it can kill you) and then allow you to sue a company when what we predicted would come true actually comes true?
The same holds true for obesity. It’s been proven that obesity can lead to heart disease and hypertension just to name a few. In fact, obesity related illnesses costs us billions of dollars each year and shows no signs of stopping!
Okay, so we allow students to be whatever weight that they want. What happens when they get sick from an obesity related illness….who pays the bill then?
I don’t know the answer here. Certainly, I think everyone should be allowed to make their own decisions, but as we learn more about how our lifestyle affects our health, isn’t it reasonable to have people take precautions before it gets too late?
What do you think?
Filed under: In The News | Tagged: BMI, lincoln university, obesity | 1 Comment »