'Men are 100% to blame for their ill health'

In a shock verdict yesterday Man was found guilty of crimes against his own health.

The mock trial was staged by the Men's Health Forum to kick-off Men's Health Week. The jury comprised of health professionals, policymakers, NGOs, politicians and journalists ignored the expert evidence and blamed Man alone for his poor health and shorter life-expectancy relative to women.

Expert witnesses pointed out that:

primary care services (GPs) are less accessible to men
many long-term conditions in men are badly managed by health professionals
men's health does not always feature in local NHS health plans
little health information is available in formats that men find accessible
few workplaces adopt men's health initiatives

The expert witnesses argued that if action was taken in all these areas, there is good evidence that it would lead to major improvements in men's health. The jury took no notice.

'This is a ridiculous verdict,' said Malehealth editor Jim Pollard. 'The jury simply haven't taken their job seriously. A cursory look at this website reveals that while most of us could do better in our personal health management, it is laughable to present us as entirely responsible for its poor state.

'Take the case of John Walker and the prostate cancer that nearly killed him: I told my GP, I respected his decision, but if I'd followed his advice I'd probably be dead. Or the case of Paul and his violent childhood: I remember traumatic events from my childhood and very little else. Only a chump would say that these men are to blame for what happened to them.

'If we really want to name the guilty men it should be the members of the jury that allowed this terrible miscarriage of justice. It may only have been a mock trial but it says everything about our attitudes to men's health.

'This verdict condemns Man to the same rotten deal he's always had from the NHS and justifies the same old fashioned nonsense about how a man is supposed to be strong and silent.'