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Loading...Obese Man Loses Custody of His Children
- Michelle Schoffro Cook
- June 22, 2012
- 4:11 pm
- 80 comments
This morning I read the story about an Ottawa man who lost his children in a custody battle, at least in part due to his weight. While the name of the man has not been released, according to The Globe and Mail, weight played a major factor in the judge’s decision.
The 38-year-old man now weighs 380 pounds. A year ago when his kids were removed from his ex-wife’s home after her alleged drug overdose, he weighed 525 pounds.
According to the news article, at one time the man also was a chronic marijuana user, had a marijuana grow-op, and played video games for hours. But, this doesn’t appear to be his current lifestyle.
While it is difficult to pin down the facts in this case because the man’s identity is protected under the Child and Family Services Act, it appears that the man has made changes to improve his life to gain custody of his children who are now being put up for adoption.
I understand that after a certain weight a person may not be able to take care of his or her children because the weight constitutes a disability; however, I don’t think 380 pounds is the magic number on the scale. And, this man lost 145 pounds in a year. That’s impressive and a clear sign of an effort on his part to take charge of his life to transform his circumstances. I also don’t think weight should be a factor in determining whether a person is a suitable parent. If these are all the facts, I think his human rights were violated here.
I’d love to know what you think. Should the courts be able to use a person’s weight to determine his or her suitability to have custody of children?
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Related:
On the Frontlines of Childhood Obesity (video)
Adult Onset Diabetes: Does It Need a New Name?
Weight Gain: It’s Really Not About the Calories
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Michelle Schoffro Cook
Michelle Schoffro Cook, MSc, RNCP, ROHP, DNM, PhD is an international best-selling and 14-time book author and doctor of traditional natural medicine, whose works include: 60 Seconds to Slim, Healing Recipes, The Vitality Diet, Allergy-Proof, Arthritis-Proof, Total Body Detox, The Life Force Diet, The Ultimate pH Solution, The 4-Week Ultimate Body Detox Plan, and The Phytozyme Cure. Check out her natural health resources and subscribe to her free e-magazine World's Healthiest News at WorldsHealthiestDiet.com to receive monthly health news, tips, recipes and more. Follow her on Twitter @mschoffrocook and Facebook.
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people are talking
Thank you for the wise advice. I have been an advocate for others and even myself when it was neces…
Great in theory, but there's the problem of insurance coverage. Many insurance plans, including mine…
Thank you.
hmmm..interesting thought.
enjoyed your article and humor, cats are worth all that and more!
80 comments
+ add your ownShe was a drug addict and he weighed 500+ pounds. The article probably doesn't address all of the issues that were concerns to child services.
If he can't keep healthy diet, it means he can make his kids obese, too. I'm sure that's what it's all about. I'm sure the Judge did't think "oh, he's obese, so he's not pretty, so I'll take his kids away". Scientists have proven that only 5% of people can't help being fat, others made themselves fat by wrong diet and lack of exercise.
Good. He was a bad example for his cildren. If someone lets themselves become that obese then they will allow their kids to become that obese. You cannot properly take care of a child when you are that overwieght nor be a good role model.
id have to know all the facts before making a judgement call here
Thanks for sharing!
This is a violation of human rights and given the fact that this man has been attempting to reverse his previous behaviour the idea that his weight should have anything to do with parenting is ridiculous.
This edit has not been applied to other families where one or both of the parents are overweight and it is obvious that parents who are smokers of cigarettes are not banned from bringing up children either.
The banner at the top of this webpage advertises 60 recipe cards for 1€50... ROFL!!
@Deborah M -
In view of the fact that one-third of the US population is obese and you are psychologically unable to cope with obesity, you should switch careers.
In particular, your comment about "all" fat people being control freaks is particularly disturbing as in my experience they come in all different colours and personality types. Take a break and rethink your life choices now, before you end up doing something irreparable to yourself and very likely someone else.
I think,from what this story tells,that he is making an effort,and has made significant changes.If he were not doing so,it may be different.I think that in most cases,obesity does not make a person unfit to parent unless it is so bad that it interferes with their ability to do what is needed to meet the children's basic needs.The bottom line is,if the child is being provided with food,clothing,shelter,an education,and has education and supervision,and not being abused,that is the only criteria for interference of any ind.Otherwise,gov't keep out.I think that the gov't needs to stay the f*** iout of family affairs,and stop invading our privacy and trying to overregulate every aspect of our lives.
In this case, it's not just the weight that seems to be the problem, but...
I don't know what to say... Of course, as Debrah R said, the weight of a person should not be taken into account when deciding if they are fit to be a parent. It would be discrimination, just like taking race, age, or sexual orientation into account... It's their abilities that should be considered... but what make for this ability?
A person who abuses drugs and/or alcohol is probably not a fit parent. But, would a very heavy smoker, who smokes with their kids in the house and the car all the time, be considered a fit parent? How about a person who thinks nothing of eating a 200g-bag of chips EVERY DAY in front of their kid, who only keeps soft drinks as beverage in their home, who never buys any fruit or veggies and does absolutely no exercise...?
This goes deeper than the weight, people. In this case, the man's behavior and attitude towards food and exercise clearly changed, with the responsibility of his kids. I don't know the whole story, but doesn't he deserve our help?
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