Does Obesity = Suicide?

Is it right to equate being obese with killing oneself? Is this a clever ad campaign or an offensive slight to those struggling with depression/suicidal thoughts and their loved ones?
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Check out these pictures.

Now tell me...is it right to equate being obese with killing oneself? Is this a clever ad campaign or an offensive slight to those struggling with depression/suicidal thoughts and their loved ones?

"Obesity is suicide," the tiny-print copy at the bottom reads. "But it doesn't have to end this way. Find out how bariatric surgery can help. The Northern Bariatric Surgery Institute www.cutweight.org" (Note: These ads are not real -- they are part of a budding ad creator's book and the website is a dummy.)

Hanging oneself with sausage links, exploding your insides with butter, OD'ing on chocolate candies...

What's your reaction to these images? Is it ethically right to compare obesity to suicide, a horrific and unimaginable experience for the friends and family left behind? Or can the creator of the ads be forgiven because he's simply doing his job, trying to sell something -- in this case, bariatric surgery -- even if the overall message being delivered is, "If you're overweight, you're as bad as a suicide bomber and should have your stomach reduced to a tiny little pouch"?

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