Should a parent lose custody of an obese child?

Should a parent lose custody of an obese child?
Wednesday, December 05, 2007 | 9:12 PM

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sec...t_7&id=5817191

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 5, 2007 (KGO) -- In this country, parents who
allow a child to become morbidly obese face the possibility of losing
custody and in some cases, being charged with child abuse.

In the next few minutes, Aisha Malone will hand her son over to child
and family services of Contra Costa County.

"CPS is taking my son because he is obese and I have to relinquish my
son today at 12:30 or else arrest warrants will be issued for me and my
family members," said mother Aisha Malone.


Malone's son is six-years-old and weighs 140 pounds, that's about three
times the size of a kid his age. He has other medical issues such as
asthma. His sleep apnea is linked to his weight.

This case is very similar to Connor McCreaddie's ordeal. He's the
eight-year-old English boy who weighed 218 pounds.

A year ago, he was nearly put into protective custody because according
to his doctors, his mother was slowly killing him by overfeeding him.

Mom kept custody of Connor, after promising to improve his diet.

"Half of society is overweight so are you going to take away every child
because they are overweight give a parent a chance to help their child,"
said Malone.

But according to one physician we talked to, Malone missed a few
appointments with nurses and nutritionists to help her come up with a
diet plan for her son.

Legal experts say child abuse is not just about hitting a child or
sexually abusing them, it's also about neglect.

"If she is raising a child and through his nutrition has become so
endangered to his body and to his health, that's something else than
just raising a fat kid, then you are harming a child and the judge would
have the obligation to transfer custody," said Peter Keane from Golden
Gate University Law School.

The National Institutes of Health define morbid obesity as being 100
pounds or more over the ideal body weight.

Childhood obesity is of particular concern because it is hard to overcome.

As a result some children are suffering conditions like type-two
diabetes and liver disease. Things that basically were unheard of in the
past.

Skeletal disorders are also linked to childhood obesity.

"The more obese you become, the more pressure you are putting on knee
and ankle joints therefore you will be getting osteoarthritis. We are
seeing this in kids, low back pain it's actually preventing kids from
exercising," said pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig.

Jesse Manek was only 13 when he tipped the scales at 284 pounds. At the
time his doctor delivered a grim outlook.

"You are going to have a heart attack, by the time you are 20 you are
going to be a diabetic, you are going die young, you are not going to
live a full life," said Manek.

That's when he came to see Dr. Robert Lustig, the director of the weight
assessment for teen and child health clinic at UCSF.

With a proper diet and exercise, in two years he has lost 66 pounds.

Dr. Lustig blames the food companies for much of the weight gain in
today's children because they add fructose to many of their foods. Too
much fructose produces a chemical reaction that makes your brain believe
you're starving.

"It makes you want more, it makes you eat more and therefore the food
companies are delighted to put it in because it costs them nothing to
put it in, because it is so cheap yet it increases their food sales,"
said Dr. Lustig.

"And this will be the first generation expected to live fewer years than
their parents," said Pat Crawford from the UC Berkeley School of Public
Health.

Pat Crawford is with UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. She says
taking children away from their mothers is not the solution.

"That child will be better served to be with his mother. The mother has
to be in a supportive environment where she can learn ways to interact
with that child around food that will be healthier for her and her
family and her child," said Crawford.

Malone asked that our camera be present when her son was taken by the
social worker. But Child and Family services refused to do so while we
were there.

Her response was: "Not at liberty to discuss that."

The six-year-old was eventually put into Foster Care. He has since been
transferred to his grandmother's house.

He hasn't gained any weight but losing it remains a challenge.
(Copyright ©2007 KGO-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)





6 comments
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1

tofite4jstus

12/6/07 6:01 PM EST
NO! NO! NO! CPS is wrong removing a child because he or she is obese!
Instead, there should be help with special foods and diets. Why punish
the child and the parent by separating them? My brother was fat (1 out
of 8 kids) but when he was an adult, he was 6'4" tall and muscular...the
baby fat was gone! He was never fat again. I was a skinny kid...now I am
fat! Mark As Violation

2

kelly

12/6/07 8:01 PM EST
Taking this boy away from his Mother is punishing the child for being
too fat. This will affect how he feels about himself now thanks to
Social Services. I am sure the child's foster parents are going to be
br/advised to put him on a calorie restricted diet - this will help
him learn how to sneak, beg, and steal food. Nothing good can come of
this!!br/br/There is NO STUDY and NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE that says
this will be the first generation that has a shorter lifespan than their
parents... Mark As Violation

3

suncanaa

12/6/07 8:59 PM EST
In recent years, there have been numerous stories in newspapers around
the country about the failures of the departments of Family Services and
Social Services to do their respective jobs of monitoring and assisting
children in dangerous situations. These stories are a step in the right
direction, but one wonders if perhaps they came too late. All the
outrage in the world can’t resurrect a dead child.br/Too many children
have died as a result of wrong decisions by CPS. With power comes
responsibility and ac... Mark As Violation

4

suncanaa

12/6/07 9:02 PM EST
and accountability, which most officials ignore. A child welfare system
so overwhelmed with children who don't need to be in foster care,the
less time they have to find children in real danger. When children are
left in dangerous homes it is not because of desperate desire to
preserve families. It's almost always because overwhelmed workers missed
warning signs. And the reason children languish in foster care is not
because states do too much for families,but because they do too little.
The problem is that once the s... Mark As Violation

5

suncanaa

12/6/07 9:03 PM EST
state takes over as "the parent", you might never get your child back.
And if the child dies from the state's own neglect, it can legally claim
it is "absolutely immune" from responsibility. br/ br/Let's NOT
allow these precious children's death to be in vain - in the news one
day, forgotten the next. br/The only way to create change is to bring
it to the public's attention. It is about the children! Please hear the
childrens' cry ! br/Children Who Didn’t Have to Die - Websit... Mark
As Violation

6

suncanaa

12/6/07 9:04 PM EST
Children Who Didn’t Have to Die - Website http://suncanaa.com Mark As
Violation




CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.


CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...