EU obesity ruling - Disabling yes, avoidable yes

Those who subscribe to the traditional, hard-nosed school of thought around personal responsibility and the consequences of ill-discipline will be at least bemused if not outraged by the European Court of Justice ruling that people who are obese could also be considered disabled.

The ruling came in a landmark case involving a Danish child minder who was so fat he could not tie his shoelaces and was sacked four years ago.

The ruling, however, recognises a modern affliction, even if it is one the victims, if that is the right word, bring on themselves.

The ruling goes far beyond being a lifestyle issue and may lead to widespread changes in the way employers deal with obese staff and what supports they might be legally required to offer them.

It would be terribly naive to imagine that this will not limit employment opportunities for obese or potentially obese people.

Even if there is a legal imperative behind the ruling, it would be more than unfortunate if the decision contributed to the normalisation of what is after all a self-inflicted abnormality, one epitomised by school uniform trousers with 50-inch waistbands.

That argument is hard to refute, especially as obesity has such consequence for an individual’s health, quality of life and, not by any means the least important issue, public health budgets.

Being obese is certainly disabling but it is not unavoidable.