JACKSON, Miss., Feb. 4 One of the authors of a Mississippi bill that would bar restaurants from serving obese people said the proposed law is only meant to call attention to obesity.
Rep. John Read, R-Gautier, said House Bill 282 was never meant to pass, but rather was proposed to help draw attention to the health risks associated with obesity, the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald reported Monday.
"Anybody with any sense knows it's not going to happen, not going to pass," Read said. "Mississippi has been ranked the most obese state in the nation. With all the attention paid to tobacco problems, this was to shed some light on another major problem. This has been at least getting the dialogue going."
He added, "It's got people all over stirred up. Nobody was trying to hurt anybody's feelings here. If anyone's feelings did get hurt, I apologize."
The Obesity Action Coalition, based in Florida, is campaigning to have the bill withdrawn.
"HB 282 is the most blatant form of obesity discrimination," said Joseph Nadglowski, president of the coalition. "This bill completely perpetuates the negative stigma often associated with obesity."
Copyright 2008 by UPI
