Posted on 11/29/2011 5:49:42 AM PST by Libloather
Case of 200-pound 8-year-old in Ohio renews question: Should parents of obese lose custody?
Article by: THOMAS J. SHEERAN, Associated Press
Updated: November 29, 2011 - 7:16 AM
CLEVELAND - The case of an 8-year-old Cleveland Heights boy taken from his family because he weighs more than 200 pounds has renewed a debate on whether parents should lose custody if a child is severely obese.
The boy was removed from his family and was placed in foster care in October after county case workers said his mother wasn't doing enough to control his weight. The boy, at his weight, is considered at risk for developing such diseases as diabetes and high blood pressure. Government growth charts say most boys his age weigh about 60 pounds.
Roughly 2 million U.S. children are extremely obese — weighing significantly more than what's considered healthy.
Cuyahoga County removed the boy because case workers considered the mother's inability to get his weight down a form of medical neglect. The county's Children and Family Services agency said Monday it stood by its custody move, which was approved by a judge.
"We have worked very hard with this family for 20 months before it got to this point," agency Administrator Patricia Rideout said.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
Different state. Ohio for all it’s flaws is not California. And don’t get me started on the cult that is “transgenderism”.
Actually this started with the kids of smokers. But with that said, I’m in full agreement with you. This stuff has to end.
Agreed. Absolutely no.
Do a little thought experiment. If a child is very short, do the social workers blame the parents? Probably not, but when it comes to weight they assume that parents control the outcome. In a case this extreme, I sincerely doubt it.
re: My bet is these kids haven’t eaten a fruit or veggie in their life. Lots of Mickey D’s.
I am guessing that also.
...and the list goes on, where does it stop. If it didn’t start to begin with things would be a lot better. One can argue till the cows come home, but government has no mandate or right or power delegated or loaned from “the people” to take children from parents or for that matter a thousand other things they do because the people deem it necessary.
...and yes there is an obvious conflict on the one hand, the people desire the government to be ever concerned with everyone’s rights. In this case that of children, but at the expense of the parents. Government should not be allowed anything that an individual would not also be allowed. I cannot as an individual go in to someones home, and remove their children, thus I “the people” cannot grant such power to government, and it is only from “the people that government has any power.
Well that writes off the whole state of West Virginia..../sarc
(Proud Mountaineer here!)
I don’t condone parents encouraging unhealthy lifestyles or refusing to intervene when a child is obviously engaging in disordered eating, but the kid is going to be worse off growing up knowing he was ripped away from his family and caused them and himself great pain because of his size.
I don’t want to imagine the affects of this traumatic experience on the boy’s future body image and relationship with food.
Maybe the mom is ineffectual, but an 8-year-old is not in her presence 24/7/365. What is he eating elsewhere? What is he eating when she is not home? Are other people sneaking him food? (He could, for example, have a Grandma who thinks he's being deprived if mom is cutting him back and who sneaks him food).
Have they done enough medical testing to be certain that there are no medical causes for his weight (a remote possibility but still a possibility).
While it's unhealthy for a child to be 200lb at 8 years old, it's also unhealthy for every adult in his life to be totally focused on his weight, to the point that he is removed from his home and his mother and put in foster care.
“And don’t get me started on the cult that is “transgenderism”.”
Cult! What an interesting thought. That puts the whole transgenderism concept into a different perspective.
Incidentally, Word 2010 recognizes planned parenthood should be Planned Parenthood; indicating a high level of acceptance in society. But Word 2010 does not suggest a spelling for transgenderism; suggesting that the Overton window has not yet forced society into agreeing anybody should be able to mutilate their sex organs.
“it is only from “the people that government has any power.”
People have forgotten that and the schools certainly don’t teach the concept.
If a parent or parents were beating/burning/sexually abusing a child... take the child. If a parent or parents were allowing a child to starve, wander the streets as little ones etc... take the child. My point is if there is direct abuse/neglect then the child is in imminent danger. This boy is in danger of possibly getting high blood pressure or possibly having heart disease. Social Services... if they really wanted to help this boy would give the Mother access to a nutritionist (I’m sure there are government ones already) and advise the Mother to take him to a gym with a trainer (someone trained in exercise/the body etc). There is a good chance that this boy will NEVER be thin (it may not be his particular body type and metabolism). He could be healthier but not fit into the exact range on a chart. IMHO.
No. What’s the cutoff? What if he’d weighed only 189? What if he had weighed 220 but now was losing? Who decides?
Would the Constitutional Convention have voted this in?
What is WRONG with the socialists?
Once again, I am in full agreement with you.
There are definitely times when interference by government is a necessary thing, but the problem is government has overstepped its boundaries.
Unfortunately, we, as a society, have actually brought this upon ourselves by our insistence the government do more and more for us (we/us being used collectively not specifically) and until this mindset of dependence is rolled back, it is only a matter of time before it gets worse.
Warning to all adolescents, young men and women. Do not engage in sexual activity - it WILL result in pregnancy and the choices will be;
Marriage - under pressure.
Abortion - murder for convenience.
Adoption - from the unwitting to the unknown.
“What were they feeding him?”
Balloons and sponges!
If the woman is getting any kind of assistance remove it. No food makes people skinny.
End world hunger. Feed the obese to the starving.
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