World's Fattest Woman; A Dangerous Choice

Obesity is known to cause health problems that range from high blood pressure to stroke and heart disease. So then, why is Donna Simpson being allowed to intentionally damage her own health and put her children at risk of being orphaned at any given time? Donna Simpson has gained internet celebrity by attempting to become the world's fattest woman.

I find it stunning that her local authorities have not stepped in and done something to not only protect this woman from herself and what appears to be an attempt at suicide by gluttony but also her children from living in a home with a mother who is clearly not mentally well.

Before you go blasting me for being politically incorrect, think about how mental health professionals respond to a woman who is starving herself to death. If Donna Simpson was attempting to be the world's thinnest woman by starving herself then someone would step in and force her to get help but because she is going after the crown of world's fattest woman she has simply become someone who has gained a small amount of fame and celebrity by slowing eating herself to death.

In February 2007, Donna Simpson gave birth to a daughter by cesarean section with a team of thirty doctors. Her weight at the time was 532 lbs and she was determined to be the world's heaviest woman to ever give birth. During this pregnancy, she developed both diabetes and high blood pressure but it seems that did not deter her from putting her own health or that of her fetus at risk. High blood sugar can cause birth defects in a fetus.

Being the world's heaviest woman to give birth wasn't enough for Donna Simpson. Reports state that six month after earning this title, she decided to aim for a goal weight of 1,000 lbs. She claims she is hoping to change negative opinions of people who are obese.

How does any mother proudly set an example for her children that endangers their health and puts them at risk of becoming orphans before they graduate high school? If a parent was loving, tended to the needs of their children and didn't abuse them but was a drug addict; it is likely the state would still step in and remove the children from a dangerous environment. Yet, because food is a legal and required substance for survival, the abuse of it is not enough for anyone to step in with either Donna Simpson or her children? Her goal of becoming the world's fattest woman is detrimental to her health and detrimental to her children's concept of a healthy lifestyle. If she is eating like this then the question is raised; what is she feeding her children? How unhealthy are their eating habits? What would blood tests reveal about their overall health at this time?

If Donna Simpson wishes to kill herself by eating her way to the title of world's fattest woman, then obviously that is her choice, but who is going to pay for cost of her desire to gain celebrity in such a manner? Will the taxpayers of New Jersey have a choice when her health makes it impossible for her to live without constant medical care?

Currently Donna Simpson has her own personal website that offers subscription to those who wish to watch her eat and it seems there are those who are willing to pay for her to maintain her $750.00 weekly grocery bill and twelve thousand calories a day diet.

Weighing in at 650 lbs over Christmas, Donna Simpson decided to celebrate the holiday and really take her goal of world's fattest woman to the next level. Her Christmas meal included a 25 lb turkey and two whole hams with all of the trimmings. She topped out at about thirty thousand calories for one meal.

The fact that she is allowed to continue in such a dangerous manner begs the question at what point does the system step in and determine if someone is mentally stable enough to take care of themselves and their children. Her youngest child is three years old. One has to wonder, what would happen if her child ran into the street with an oncoming car, how quickly mom would be able to reach that child to prevent a tragedy from occurring.

This writer personally does not believe that a person who is opening engaging in behavior that is known to have fatal effects should be allowed to continue in such behavior without mental health professionals stepping in nor should she be allowed to subject her children to such dangerous and unhealthy behavior.

There is a difference between someone who is obese and is trying to take care of themselves and someone who is intentionally putting their health at risk, while being allowed to sell it on a personal website that claims "adult content". One can only wonder what is behind the "join" page on Donna Simpson's personal website that does not state a price only ways to pay. There has to be a better way to money than to risk your life by selling your attempt at becoming the world's fattest woman.

Sources:

www.en.wikipedia.org

www.newjerseynewsroom.com

Donnasmimpson.com

www.cbsnews.com