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Subscribe to RSSCuyahoga County Officials took an eight-year-old boy, weighing over 200 pounds from his mother, and now a court will begin the process of deciding what's best for the child next month. Prof. Arthur Caplan discusses.
An Ohio third-grader weighing more than 200 pounds has been taken from his family and placed into foster care when county social workers said his mother wasn't doing enough to control his weight.
The Plain Dealer reports that the 8-year-old is considered severely obese and at risk for diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
The Ohio Health Department estimates more than 12 percent of third-graders statewide are severely obese. The removal of the Cleveland child is the first state officials can recall of a child being put in foster care for a strictly weight-related issue.
Lawyers for the mother say the county is overreaching in taking the child. They say the medical problems the boy is at risk for do not yet pose an imminent danger to his health.
Cuyahoga County does not have a specific policy on dealing with obese children, the Plain Dealer reported. A spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Family Services told the newspaper that the agency removed the boy because case workers considered this mother's inability to get her son's weight down a form of medical neglect.
Authorities claim the child's weight gain was caused by his environment and that the mother wasn't following doctor's orders -- an allegation the mother disputes.
"This child's problem was so severe that we had to take custody," Mary Louise Madigan told the Plain Dealer. The agency worked with the mother for more than a year before asking Juvenile Court for custody of the child, she said.
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As a parent, you must monitor your child(ren)'s weight. I recently learned that my son broke the 200 pound limit that I set for him. He is a senior who plays football. He wants to play in college,so that is why he said that he gained the weight. I'M NOT buying it. I have restricted the snacks in the house and he is only allowed fast food once a week. His coach said that his weight gain is ok. I disagree and since I am the momma, I set the rules.
No 3rd grader should be that big. The mother holds some responsibilty for this.
South Carolina consumes more alcohol per capita than any other state. That may partly explain the violence against children.
If you look at FBI numbers, women commit the greater amount of child abuse and by far commit the greater number of domestic assaults using weapons.
Deterrence is not the chief aim of the death penalty; the chief aim is justice. I don't support the death penalty because of sloppy juries, but I understand the idealism behind it.
The very people who oppose the death penalty want this man beaten to death in prison. Where's the consistency? They oppose the death penalty because it's not painful!
This is a typical "Lets put a bandaid on this problem"!! The PROBLEM is that ANY idiot can have children. We offer no formal training or education on raising healthy children. We either, as a society, need to limit who can have children, or we need to provide adequate education and training for EVERYONE.
All those who bring up poverty and what the child has been fed be it food pantry food which alot of time is the not the healthiest but it keeps you alive. Are missing the whole point of fact that a huge part of weight gain is due to lack of movement. It does not take a gym membership or anything special to get that exercise take the child on a walk , keep them active it costs nothing! Been dealing with cps due to family memeber issues for almost 3 years and I will tell you that that is always a last resort. Those going on and on how we dont know the story or it cant be the parents fault need to step into reality as a parent YOU are responsible for the health of your child and if you cant do that you dont deserve to be a parent. Yes a 200lb 8 year old is child neglect and the fact the lawyer and parents say hey its ok he doesnt have the bad health risk yet is bull and showing how much they really care about the child and his health. People need to start taking care of their children or otherwise let someone who will have them because your to selfish to do so.
I'm 5'11'' and in the tenth grade. I don't even weight 190 lbs. Think about it.
This boy just needs to eat healthier foods, and get exercise everyday in order to get his weight down to what it should be. Maybe Mom should just take him out every evening for a walk.
I was reading 12% of the children in Ohio are obese when will CPS take them into custody ?
There are varying degrees of obesity. This kid's BMI puts him in the "super morbidly obese" category for his age group. He may not currently be affected by many obesity-related diseases, but if he doesn't get the weight off, it's inevitable that he will be affected.
If there is no medical reason for this kid to be obese, then yes, it's the mom's fault. However, the article doesn't give us all the facts; the kid may have been on some medication that promotes weight gain. Thanks to chronic depression, a desk job and several years of Paxil, I became morbidly obese. Paxil actually contributes to weight gain; it works great for depression and anxiety, but you get fatter when you take it. After switching to Wellbutrin, going to Swimmercize classes at the Y, and modifying my diet, I'm down 60 pounds. It's hard work, but it can be done. The kid may just need a push in the right direction.