AMA Rules Against Advisors: Fat Now a Disease!

FOSTER CITY, Calif. - June 21, 2013 - PRLog -- Foster City, CA - Patients of high body weight are the one group of people who are least inclined to seek medical attention because of the discrimination they face.  

Physician’s weight bias, already a major problem, is now moving beyond just stigmatization to clear dislike and negativity toward the overweight, (Brochu P., Esses V., [2009]).    Couple this with the fact that physicians have received insufficient or no training to address or examine fat patients and are frustrated with the lack of resources available to them (Amy NK, et al [2006]), setting the stage for a powder keg of discrimination, the likes of which we have never seen before.

Into this environment of bias and discrimination, the American Medical Association (AMA) declares that obesity is a disease.   "The AMA just put its official stamp of approval on the widespread weight bias of physicians.” stated NAAFA Advisory Board Member Dr. Deb Burgard.  “This act furthers the ‘War on the Obese.’ Economic greed and weight stigma have trumped science and the advice of the AMA's own expert committee, and it is a sad day for the relationship between doctors and their higher-weight patients…People are losing confidence that their doctors have their best interests at heart…This decision represents a clear victory of economic interests over science.”

Key points against AMA Ruling:

AMA turned away from science and the recommendations of its own scientific advisors
AMA cited economic motives in colluding with corporate interests
AMA failed to reach this decision with input of the relevant community of higher-weight people

NAAFA votes:
NO CONFIDENCE in the AMA

NAAFA demands:
A reversal of this designation and an immediate roundtable discussion that includes higher-weight people from every community.

In response to the AMA decision, fat activists have started the #IAmNotADisease hashtag on Twitter.  Author and fat activist Marilyn Wann started a Change.org petition, which is already getting strong support. NAAFA encourages everyone who supports Equality At Every Size to sign and share the petition with others:  https://www.change.org/petitions/american-medical-association-stop-defining-obesity-sic-as-a-disease

Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.

On the web:  http://www.naafa.org

For more information contact:
Peggy Howell, Public Relations Director, NAAFA
e-mail:  pr@naafa.org    phone:  916-558-6880