A Cleveland, Ohio mother is losing her child for a pretty unique reason: the state has determined that her child is too fat.
The mother brought her child into a hospital sometime last year, citing concern over problems breathing. The doctors at the Rainbow Babies and Children’s hospital diagnosed him with sleep apnea (a disease commonly associated with being overweight), contacted social workers, and enrolled the 200+ lb. youth in a program geared towards shedding pounds. The youth experienced moderate success for a while, but quickly regained the weight.
The mother of the child (whose name has not been released) was distraught, shocked at the fact that her child was being forced into the foster care system based on her weight. The mother was quoted as stating, “It’s a lifestyle change and they are trying to make it seem like I am not embracing that. It is very hard, but I am trying”.
The Constitution places a high level of importance on the rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit. Legally, the state must have a compelling state interest in removing a child from their parent’s care. A “compelling state interest” can be the health and well-being of an individual. What’s curious –and possibly dangerous- about this however, is the fact that America is facing an obesity epidemic.
For those of you on the side of removing the child from the parent citing the better good, consider the case of Adela Martinez. A decade ago, her three-year old daughter, Anamarie was removed from her care. … <Read More>