A recent article in USA Today Newspaper, raises the question of whether parents should lose custody of their kids, if the kids become obese. The idea being that allowing such a thing to go on should be construed as child abuse, because it can lead to serious health issues.
Arguments for Protective Services to Step in when Children become Obese
The article cites some examples where extremely obese children have been taken away from their parents, sometimes for a short duration, sometimes for much longer period of time, not to punish the parents, but to provide help for a child who clearly needs it but isn't getting it at home.
Clearly, it's a tricky issue because there are no specific laws on the books that say a parent is disallowed for allowing their children to gain too much weight. And, of course, there is the question of how much is too much. In the examples noted in the article, the children taken from their homes were the result of doctors reporting what they found to authorities.
To remove a child from a home, authorities must have evidence of either neglect or abuse; in the case of obesity in children, both might be argued as parents can be shown to be negligent in the care of their children if they allow them to grow so big that it becomes dangerous; or they can be shown to be abusive if they are actively engaged in providing the food that allows their children to become obese.
The Case Against Allowing Authorities to Take Obese Children From Their Parents
Whenever a child is taken away from his or her parents there are more issues at stake than just the outstanding one that led to the child being removed, the most important of which of course, is the impact it has on the child. Would removing the child and putting him or her with someone else that won't allow them to eat so much, be in their best interest if doing so causes emotional distress, which many people believe is at the root of obesity to begin with?
Also, is it legal? Most states have some definition of assault or battery, both of which are terms used by courts to determine if a child has been abused, but does feeding your kid too much qualify?
Finally, is it right? This of course is a tougher question because it's a both a matter of opinion and a question of morals. If kids can be taken out of their homes for eating poorly, can expectant mothers face criminal charges if they become obese while pregnant, or get pregnant while already obese? The lines begin to get hazy after a while.
Bottom Line
As with many social issues, it appears that more study should be done; perhaps rather than take away children, parents could either be taught how to properly feed their kids, the television could be turned off, or assistance provided in the home.
Sources
”Should parents lose custody of super obese kids?" USAtoday.com, viewed July, 13 2011.
Bob Yirka - Bob Yirka has written thousands of online articles and backs them up with a BS in Computer Science/MS in Information Systems Management.
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