Posted on 07/28/2007 7:09:14 PM PDT by Graybeard58
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- A local man said he's upset a judge took away a foster son because he is obese.
Gary Stocklaufer weighs 500 pounds. He said a family court judge ruled this week that he wasn't fit enough to be an adoptive father.
"It's out-and-out discrimination," Stocklaufer said. "We don't have a checkered past. We don't have a rap sheet, like a lot of people do. We don't have any cases of abuse."
Stocklaufer is a state-certified foster parent. He and his wife, Cynthia, had taken in baby Max from a cousin who couldn't raise him. The couple also has an adopted son named Bobby.
Stocklaufer said Max's biological mother had signed over parental rights to them in April. He said he and his wife wanted to formally adopt Max, so they went to family court and expected quick approval.
They didn't get it.
"We had Max for three months. He was taken away around the 13th of last month," Stocklaufer told KMBC's Jim Flink. "He means the world to us, and our world has been taken out from underneath of us."
Stocklaufer said his weight should remain immaterial to his being an adoptive father.
"I mean, if I'm able to be a licensed foster care parent and we've had lots of kids in this home, then why would I not be able to adopt my own cousin?" Stocklaufer said. "We tried to follow all the legal steps, not knowing my weight would ever be an issue."
The ruling has shaken the couple's faith in the state's system.
"We're hurt, sad, frustrated," Cynthia Stocklaufer said. "We've tried to raise our child to believe the justice system will work for you."
"We understand they're out for the best interest of the child, but the state should not have this kind of authority," Stocklaufer said. "They're keeping him from us, which is totally wrong."
Coincidentally, the judge who ruled Stocklaufer unfit is the same judge who allowed the adoption of Bobby seven years ago, KMBC reported.
Stocklaufer said he plans to continue fighting to get Max back.
Meanwhile, several doctors have come forward to offer free gastric bypass surgery to Stocklaufer as a way to help him lose weight.
Fund Set Up For Family
A fund has been set up to help the Stocklaufer family with legal fees. Donations can be sent to:
Gary Stocklaufer Fund Commerce Bank 17601 E. Highway 24 Independence, MO 64056
Family Court Issues Response Family Court Judge Ann Mesle told KMBC that she has not seen discrimination against the obese. She said each case is different and that the child's welfare is the most important thing to consider.
On Thursday, the 16th Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri released a statement that said: "Missouri law restricts the disclosure of any information in adoption cases to very specific circumstances. Court files, records and information in adoption proceedings are closed and, aside from the parties in the case, can only be released by court order."
"The particular case that you are inquiring about is still an ongoing case. Additional proceedings may still occur in the case. While the petitioners are free to talk about the case, court personnel cannot discuss any of the facts involved in the proceeding."
"Under Missouri law, the court is required to consider the welfare and best interests of the child when determining whether or not an adoption should be approved, which is a complicated determination ... Factors to be considered include the petitioner's educational, financial, marital, medical and psychological status and criminal background check."
“Part of it is people posting before their morning coffee, and part of it is that the reprobates who have replaced teachers in our schools don’t even try to teach spelling any more.”
Why should we? The reprobates that have kids don’t bother to teach them how to behave before they send the kids to school, any more. We wind up trying to teach them how to behave first. Then, if they get that, maybe they can learn to spell. (I should probably put a sarcasm tag on this, but it’s truer than I really like.)
“We wind up trying to teach them how to behave first.”
I will admit that in depriving teachers of the tool of corporal punishment we have put them in an impossible position. And I will admit that there must be one or two decent people teaching school in America today.
However, the behavior that my 9th grade daughter’s home-room teacher (biologically female) wanted to teach last year was rug munching. I went to the school board over that one. Then there was the Che Guevara poster...I didn’t have to go to the school board to get that one taken care of.
I wouldn’t be surprised if every teacher in that school posts on DU...and that’s in Idaho, supposedly a conservative bastion.
The fact is that the education departments of our universities are festering cesspools.
Since it would be too hard to find the very few good teachers, we should just bar everyone who now holds a teaching certificate, and every graduate of a university education department, from employment in any capacity related to education, or even ever speaking to a minor again, and staff our schools exclusively with retired military.
Interesting. Judging from that chart, exporting undocumented waddlers ought to squeeze a lot of fat from the fattest country on the list.
Character matters. Some day you will find that out. I hope for your sake it’s not too late.
I’m hoping you want to make the one exclusive of the other, as I’ve graduated recently as a teacher, but I’m retired military. Basically, you’re throwing out the baby with the bathwater here. I’m in Oklahoma, and even most of the liberals here would qualify as conservative in LA or NYC. Last week of school, last school year (end of May) I was talking to one of the ELL teachers at my school. She was thinking it might be Bush’s Fault, and wasn’t too happy about our being involved in a war, but did want our troops to have what they needed to fight it if they had to be there, and was not sure about non-military needing firearms, but thought that we shouldn’t take them away from people, as they probably did need them for self-defense. This was probably THE most liberal person there.
“I’m hoping you want to make the one exclusive of the other”
I don’t know exactly how I would do it if I were king. Maybe just issue conservatives licenses to hunt liberals.
The topic of this article is whether are not the glob is too obese to take care of a child. My answer was yes, I doubt that he can take care of himself. What is the source of his and his wife gainful employment. What is the judges statement as to character, I don't know, but if you like I would say lettings one get to 500 pounds shows a defining like of character.
But I do also question as to why you want to make the topic personal?
You really don’t see it, do you? More’s the pity.
Being a good parent is not about how much you weigh. It’s about character. More character than you can be taught online. You either have it, or you don’t. You either have enough self respect to be able to afford others the respect they’re due, or you make fat jokes and fail to see how inappropriate they are.
Most children are taught that it’s wrong to tease others about things like weight, scars, disabilities, etc. Even bullies who engage in that behavior usually outgrow it in their teens. The very few who don’t outgrow it, should never be allowed in a position of influence over children. No amount of fat can do as much damage to a child as someone with severe character deficiencies.
I have known and worked with Gary for over 3 years.He is a kind and giving person who not only takes care of himself but others too, his weight is not relevant to the issue . That was the point of this article perhaps you should reread it when you free yourself of your obvious predjudice.
RoF, what does he do for a living, since you know him. Since I wrote the statement I saw him on TV on an interview and after which I was even more convinced the judge was correct.
They would if the homosexual weighed 500 pounds. This is all about weight apparently.
Looks like someone didn’t get enough attention in #71 on this thread. :0)
I went to the source; you’re right, this is not about discrimination against the obese but a racial issue as usual.
Spell checking programs encourage this; sloppy editing allows it.
At the rate we’re going the N-word will be censored as well, we’ll see such things as “the mean guy uttered the word formerly known as the ‘*-word’...”
Anybody brave enough to comment on this post?
“I would say lettings one get to 500 pounds shows a defining like of character.”
I might agree with you if I could figure out what you said.
Some do, some don't.
I am on a personal campaign to make people aware that the past tense of "lead" (rhymes with "deed") is "led." The word "led" should not be confused with the word "lead" (rhymes with "dead").
Now, I'm off to get the lead out and get some meaningful work done around ye olde homestead. See ya later. ;^)
Thanks, the first post definitely lacked something.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.