Should lifestyle discrimination be legal ? With the rising cost of healthcare, companies are looking for ways to save money. Across the US, many companies, including hospitals, are refusing to hire employees who's lifestyle is deemed to be high risk.
Users of tobacco, though perfectly legal, are being told that they aren't entitled to have a job because they smoke or chew tobacco. And many supporters of this new type of discrimination are living very high risk lifestyles themselves. Although they may not yet be aware, companies know when they've stumbled on to something that increases their profits. Eventually, many other groups will be added to the list of unacceptable lifestyles, including those who are over-weight, drink alcohol, poor eating habits, etc. And with advancements in genetic testing and lifestyle screening, the practice of refusing to hire, refusing to insure, or denying many of the opportunities that were once equally available to all, might very well be the way of things to come in America.
How bad does the discrimination have to get before people will begin to recognize it for what it truly is, and take action to stop it?
