"Pro" Anorexia websites- Should they be banned or is freedom of speech at stake?

I have never heard of such sites. If you could list a site as a reference, that would be more helpful to see what it entails. But if anorexics are using it as support to overcome this illness, then it can be a good thing. But if they are using it to brag about how long they have gone without eating or detailing with pride about consuming just ex-lax and water...then this sites can harm. Unfortunately, I would think it would be better to education these people rather then just ban them and make them go into hiding. Education as to why they are really struggling with this disorder is the key. I know...I used to be anorexic.

People who set up pro-anorexia websites which dissuade sufferers from seeking help should be sued, according to a group which helps people overcome eating disorders. There are hundreds of "Pro-ana" websites creating an online community where fellow anorexics encourage each other to starve themselves further. Through the sites, written almost exclusively by girls suffering from anorexia, they glamorise thinness. They are dominated by images of underweight women and pictures of obese people are posted to warn anorexics about what could happen if they do not stick to their routines.They use the web to swap handy hints and buddy up to continue their quest for the body 'beautiful'. Many website providers dislike their sites being used to promote pro-anorexia material and act swiftly to close them down.And this has driven some of them underground, many are protected with passwords so only members can enter.

Boy, this is such an important topic and I have such a wishy washy answer. I believe strongly in the freedoms of our country and world, but being a high school teacher, sites like this scare me. It is so hard already to discourage some students from this type of self destructive behavior and then to have sites that support them while acting on those behaviors. I guess that I am not sure exactly how I feel, but I do appreciate you making us all think about it a little more.

I think freedom of speech is important, but feel the media, more than forum websites are more to blame for annorexia and bullimia than the people who chat about it. As a therapist, I have helped many anorexics and talking about it in the correct way helps them to see exactly what they are becoming. Many look into a mirror and see themselves as fat, when in reality they look like a Japanese prisoner of war who worked on the Burma railway in World War 2. There is usually an underlying emotional problem that needs to be addressed before their "eyes are opened" to the dangers. Often it's a case of a desperate need for love and approval and they feel without it they would rather waste away and die. I think it is a society problem and what is needed is for everybody to accept themselves as their genetics have created them. There are some people who love thin people and some people who love fatter people and if you can love yourself, that would make you loveable in the eyes of others.

There's really no way to ban them nor anything else that's offensive like pro child predator sites. The only way to deal with them is through education. If people are made aware of the dangers of certain behaviors, they will either not do that or seek help and support for the problem. I had a daughter who had an eating disorder scare and it was a very eye opening experience. It's a sign that parents need to communicate more to their children and vice versa.