Obesity - A form of abuse? Some agencies think so

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Oct 31st 2008 4:00PM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

Is obesity a form of child abuse? That's an issue that's up for debate. On one hand, facilitating your kids' unhealthy habits to the point that they are putting their health at serious risk could be considered a form of neglect. On the other hand, eating too much and not exercising enough are not crimes and shouldn't be treated as such.

Still, in the UK, they're taking the former standpoint -- and they've even started taking severely obese kids from their homes and placing them in government care. The hope is that placing the kids in care will not only help them get healthy but help teach them life-long healthy habits. It's a drastic step, but it's one they see as necessary.

I'm curious to know what you think ...

(via Calorie Lab)

Source

Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

... 10-31-2008 @ 5:46PM

Well, the UK has socialized health care. There, when parents don't take care of their children, it puts a strain on the shared health system, and everybody's taxes go up.

At the moment, the US is different. Our taxes currently don't pay to care for obese children of otherwise-responsible parents. If taxpayers were being made to pay health care for the obese kids, then it's possible that the taxpayers might have some small right to influence the decision. However, as long as the parents are financially responsible for the children's health without spending taxpayer money, it should be the parents' decision.

Andrew R 10-31-2008 @ 9:12PM

I don't think that it's fair to take kids away form their homes because their parents are teaching them bad habits. The kids shouldn't be punished because they don't fully understand the situation.

Instead, I think they should send the parents to mandatory workshops teaching them why it's important to instill good eating habits in their kids. Once the kid reaches 18, it's his/her choice. But until then, it's the parents' responsibility.

Thanks for the post!

All the Best,

Andrew R

Drewboy 11-01-2008 @ 1:21PM

I went to middle school with a guy whose parents fought all the time. He'd binge on food when they did that and he had to weigh 350 lbs by 8th grade. In his case, it would have been healthier for him if he were removed from that situation.