Sometimes these refusals are couched in terms of a physician’s conscientious beliefs or appear to be attempts to encourage behavior the physician deems desirable. In other cases, the physician seeks to justify such actions us- ing outwardly neutral terms. For example, the Massachusetts doctor who recently decided to reject all new patients weighing more than 200 lb claimed that she needed to protect her staff from injuries.1 Similarly, 14% of obstetrics gynecology practices polled by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 2011 said they have set weight limits for new patients, citing reaons ranging from lack of specialized equipment to fear of malpractice suits over complications caused by obesity.