In October 2011, a morbidly obese 8-year old boy was taken from his home and placed into foster care. The young boy tipped the scales at over 200 pounds. According to court documents, the mother lost custody of her son because she failed to maintain a healthy living environment. Based on height and weight standards, an 8-year old should weigh approximately 60 pounds.
How fat is too fat? At what point is obesity considered an imminent health risk? Should obesity be considered neglect? Should the government step in to assist young children who are at grave risk for major health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and emotional stress? Have American politicians and the judicial system taken the 'nanny-state' concept too far?
The American Medical Association classified obesity as a disease last month (June 2013). Based on the AMA recognition of obesity as a disease, rather than a lifestyle choice, are we likely to witness an increase in the removal of obese children from the care of their own parents? What are the emotional repercussions on the children as well as the parents? Is the state over-reacting to the obesity epidemic? Or, is it about time that the courts stepped in to protect our most precious resources - the children. You make the call!!!
The final line of this blog says it all. The court needs to do its duty to “protect our most precious resources – the children.” The state is doing the right thing in removing these obese children from a harmful situation. The government is allowed to step in once a child’s health is in danger. From 1990 to 2010, there has been an increase of 60% in overweight or obese preschool children globally. Parents are responsible for the health and well being of their children, and this fact shows that parents are not taking that responsibility. According to the American Heart Association, 1 in 3 American kids and teens is overweight, and this early weight gain can lead to early health problems such as high blood pressure, elevated blood cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, none of which should be seen until adulthood in a healthy individual. If these children want a chance at adulthood, their only option is to be taken away from the harmful environments they call their “homes” and place them into a real home with people that will care for the children and their health.
ReplyDeleteObesity in children is starting to become more and more of a problem in America today and I support the state’s intervention with these unfortunate occurrences. The risks for children who are obese are quite startling. According to the article these children are at more of an immediate risk for developing complications such as Type 2 diabetes. These are life threatening complications that reduce life expectancy dramatically. Laura Suarez talks about the effects of Type 2 Diabetes on life expectancy in her article. According to her research she says, “As the rate of obesity and type 2 diabetes increases in the United States, so does the related rate of mortality. In fact, the presence of type 2 diabetes before the age of 15 years may decrease life expectancy by 27 years.” A child should not have to reduce their life just because of poor care from his or her parents. Federal Law describes child abuse and neglect as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm.” Therefore, if a child becomes obese under the care of a parent, then this could be considered as a form of abuse since obesity has life threatening risk factors that run with it. Let the states intervene for the children’s sake!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the court’s decision. Childhood obesity is child abuse, period. That 8 year old didn’t ask to be 200lbs, he didn’t ask for the diabetes and heart disease he will very likely develop, and he didn’t ask to live the life style of an obese person. If he had not been removed he would have been forced to live the lifestyle of an obese person, immobile, unhealthy, sweaty, and probably lonely. Over feeding a child is no better than beating him the only difference is the physical and emotional damage come later. I believe in the end the child will come to understand and appreciate what the state did for him.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t agree more with this article and the judicial system for finally stepping up to the plate and taking away someone’s child for being obese. If parents can’t control their own child’s eating habits and continue to serve them large portions of food, then the court deserves every right to take that child away due to poor living conditions and the failure to act among the parents. Child Obesity is abuse to the child no matter how you look at it. If parents do not understand the health risk they are putting their child at then they should not have any children in their custody. Though this may be hard for a child at first, they will have a better understanding in the long run when they are living a healthy lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteObesity is a huge problem in today's day and age. In this case, I side with the decision to remove the child from this household. This instance is a big deal now and if there wasn't an intervention who knows what bigger problems it could have let too with regards to this child’s health. Unfortunately, this is only one case of many across the nation and our world. “Since 1980, overweight weights have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents.” In a case such as this, I believe the State has every right to protect the child. Any time we are talking about the safety of a human, especially in the case of the health and wellness of a child, something needs to be done. At the age of 8 years old, it is apparent that this child is not living under a positive influence from the parents. “61% of overweight 5 to 10 year olds already have at least one risk factor for heart disease, and 26% have two or more risk factors.” We as a nation have to step up and force change one way or another.
ReplyDeleteThe court’s decision to remove the 200 pound 8 year was the best thing they could have done for the child. Allowing a child to overeat is a form of abuse because it can lead to many different health problems. This is no different than a parent who does not give their child enough food or commits other types of physical, mental, and emotional abuse, which would lead to a child being put in foster care. According to the CDC, obese children have a greater chance of being diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes, respiratory issues, and joint and musculoskeletal problems, among other health conditions. The CDC also claims that, “obese children are more likely to become obese adults. Adult obesity is associated with a number of serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers”. Letting a child stay in that environment is allowing the child to have an increase chance for life-threatening diseases. The court's decision is a step in the right direction to end childhood obesity.
ReplyDeleteAfter studying the effects of putting children in foster care, I am opposed to the idea for a few different reasons. A lot of the statistics I found reported that many of these children who where put in foster care homes had very negative feelings and emotions toward their parents when they were re-united with them. This may lead to an undesired separation between the parents and the child causing broken homes and distant relationships. I think simply educating the parent and child would simply be a better option and for all involved. According to a recent poll, "there are roughly 382,400 children currently in foster care." I believe we are using foster care as an easy way out instead of taking the much needed steps in order to educate and fix the problem more consistently.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great way of counteracting the major problem of childhood obesity. In my opinion, it is the same as any other form of child abuse. The only difference is that this form is a much slower process. If we can simply take our children out of the harmful situation, we can counteract the problem. According to the CDC, children have a higher chance of developing High blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and impaired breathing. If a child is left to gain weight rapidly at such a young age it could potentially cause a negative effect on their quality of life as they get older.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the court’s decision to remove children from their parent’s homes due to obesity. I feel that they are attacking the problem from the wrong end. Removing a child from a home punishes the parents but it also punishes the child. In most cases of child abuse the child is scared and unhappy but with obesity the child is very happy and clearly spoiled. This could lead to even more unhealthy habits due to stress and trauma. Removing a happy child from their parents because they were over feeding them is like finding a house on fire and destroying the house rather than trying to put the fire out. I think the issue of child-hood obesity should be attacked from the other end. Instead of waiting until the child is obese then blaming the parents we should be educating them perhaps even ration their food intake. That way the structure of their family can change and progress properly and they will have a positive outlook on health and fitness.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the state’s intervention in removing obese children from their homes. Obesity has been classified as a disease, and some of these families have no way of controlling their children’s weight. Another point to make is how will these children be affected after being removed from their homes. Although the idea of putting a child into foster care is reasonable, the statistics of those children being successful in the future are slim. Of the foster youth who “age-out” from the system, 65% have nowhere to live, less than 3% go to college, and 51% are unemployed. These children will not only be obese and fighting health issues, but also will struggle to be successful once old enough to live on their own. Also, of the children who have their biological parental rights terminated, it takes approximates 2 years (23.6 months) to be adopted. This lifestyle will add unnecessary stress and mental damage to an already struggling child. If the state is allowed to removed a child from their home, the state needs to be aware of the potential emotional harm and future failures they are setting that child up for. The child needs to stay with their family where at least they are cared for and supported.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with a state having the ability to take away a parent’s child just because they are obese. Not all cases of obesity are preventable. There are actually hormonal imbalances that can trigger obesity as well. According to “The Daily Beast” from Newsweek, hormones such as leptin can have a drastic effect on a person’s appetite explaining, “When leptin drops, appetite increases.” There are also hereditary factors that should be taken into consideration as a cause for obesity. In an article called Role of Hereditary Factors in Weight Loss and Its Maintenance the authors noted, “Recently, several genes were identified whose mutations result in rare monogenic forms of human obesity.” Since genes are distributed from parents to kids it is reasonable to conclude that genes that can increase risks for obesity may also be passed down. These are two instances where it is not the parents’ fault for their kids being obese since they cannot control these factors. Therefore I do not think the state should be able to relocate children solely based on obesity.
ReplyDeleteThe courts have no right to take a child out of a loving home and put them into foster care because they are obese. This will lead to the possibility of the child developing psychological issues. With all of the children in group-homes needing places to live, they should not occupy a foster care home with someone who has loving parents. The child is being punished for being obese while it is not their fault. If the courts are really interested in the well-being of the child, they should make sure that the child gets the healthcare treatment they need. They removed an 8 year old from his home to “protect” him, but what about the other 12.5 million obese children and adolescents in the U.S? The court cannot take away all obese children. This child should not be discriminated against because his obesity is more severe. The “total lifetime estimated financial cost associated with just one year of confirmed cases of child maltreatment is approximately $124 billion”, and classifying obesity as a form of maltreatment will increase that number even more. According to the CDC, genetic factors, drugs, and illnesses can cause obesity. In these cases, it is clear that obesity is not child-abuse. Removing the child from their home is potentially creating psychological health issues and is a drastic and costly measure.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the state’s intervention in removing the obese child from the home environment. I can understand why. It is a natural loving reaction to take the child outside and away from an environment that could harm him or her, but would putting them in a foster home really solve the problem? The child has no idea that they are wrong in this case and the fact that taking them from their home could make them feel like it is their fault when it is really the parents fault. For the unfortunate children who are taken to foster homes, the wait time is around 2 years. This time waiting and away from their loving family can have large negative effects on their emotional health and could lead to worse troubles down the road. Perhaps the better alternative is to educate the family and not take the sudden reaction of pulling a child from a family when they have done nothing wrong. In a lot of these cases, I’m sure it’s the lack of health knowledge that is the real issue.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the court’s decision to remove obese children from their homes due to obesity and poor living style. One third of America is obese with 12.5 million of those being children. I believe if you take one child away then you should take them all which more than likely won’t happen. This not only hurts the parents but it scars the child for life because of the process they will eventually have to go through just to be adopted which can take up to a few years. We as people need to be better educators to our kids and should start teaching them a healthy lifestyle at a very young age so hopefully obesity problems will not come up down the road. If taking a happy child away from their parents is supposed to help stop obesity, it’s not! It is only going to make things worse.
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