Video: Is childhood obesity child abuse/neglect?
posted at 2:25 pm on July 22, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Bad cases make bad law, says the axiom, and this applies here. Obviously, this teenager has a serious problem that his mother ignored. If she gets prosecuted for felony abuse/neglect, does this open the floodgates to government prosecution of a wide swath of American parenthood? Or does this extreme case justify South Carolina’s actions? Watch the clip:
The mother’s story doesn’t add up, in my opinion. Teenagers eat a lot of bad food when they visit friends, but they don’t all put on 400 pounds of fat. Undoubtedly the mother has had a tough time raising the teen alone, but again, we don’t have legions of 555-pound teens coming from latchkey situations. At the very least, the mother failed to respond properly to the morbid weight gain of her son, who’s practically an invalid at that weight — and notice that her attorney doesn’t claim that the son has some unusual medical condition, but that he simply ate his way to 555 pounds.
I’d say this is actionable by the state and that they’re being reasonable in charging her with criminal abuse/neglect. I understand and agree with the “slippery slope” argument to a point, but this is a case so extreme that failure to respond would be neglect in and of itself. Your opinions may differ, though, so take the poll!
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So we arrest the parents of fat kids.
Are we also going to arrest the parents of Anorexics?
pseudonominus on July 22, 2009 at 2:27 PM
That’s nuts, Ed.
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 2:27 PM
Alabama and Mississippi… you are in DEEP trouble.
mankai on July 22, 2009 at 2:28 PM
+1000
jencab on July 22, 2009 at 2:28 PM
If she kept giving the kid food and did not cooperate with doctors regarding the kid’s health, yeah, arrest her. I suspect this type of bad parenting starts at birth and he was a fat toddler.
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Holy Cow
Oops was that a faux pas
blatantblue on July 22, 2009 at 2:29 PM
Mom fat, kid fat… where’s the story?
mankai on July 22, 2009 at 2:29 PM
What I’d like to know, and it’s probably racist to ask this according to liberals, but where is the father?
Why isn’t the breakdown of the family ever a link in these kinds of situations? Is it ever important?
Richard Romano on July 22, 2009 at 2:30 PM
What about parents raising statists? The fat kids won’t take my money, unless ObamaCare passes. Statist kids can’t stay away from my wallet on anything!
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:30 PM
Im not sure how this is the parents fault. Do you suggest they forcibly starve the kid to make them lose weight? Force them to wear chains as a work out? How is this the parents fault? The kid made bad choices and this is a result.
offroadaz on July 22, 2009 at 2:32 PM
If you refuse to give your kid insulin, you should be arrested.
If your 15 year old only weighs 60 lbs, and you do not seek medical help for her, you should be arrested. It’s a life threatening illness just like diabetes?
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:32 PM
Anyone ever see the special of the huge man in mexico?
blatantblue on July 22, 2009 at 2:32 PM
You just didn’t see this when I was a boy – I was born in ’58. I’m convinced that the explosion of childhood obesity is linked to the explosion of the one-parent “family.” I’m convinced that this obesity has a psychiatric foundation – based upon the elimination of the father’s presence in the life of the child.
OhEssYouCowboys on July 22, 2009 at 2:32 PM
If statists admitted this, they would have to acknowledge (a) the role government has had in destroying the family structure and (b) that government programs cannot cure society ills (e.g., more money for education).
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:32 PM
I’m in favor of arresting people who think the mother should be arrested because she has a morbidly obese kid.
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 2:33 PM
Stop being such a squish Ed. This is the reason the government needs to stay out of our lives. Can you imagine the level of government intrusion into our personal lives when the government claims our healthcare expenses to justify their fascism. Let the kid explode and leave the mother alone. None of your business.
elduende on July 22, 2009 at 2:33 PM
This kid will be declared handicapped and unable to work and receive aid of some sort.
thomasaur on July 22, 2009 at 2:33 PM
I don’t like the idea of the state involving itself in anything other than real child abouse (i.e. starvation, sexual abuse, violence, etc).
Parents are free to raise their children to be stupid, to be liberals, to be gay — so raising a kid to be fat should also be allowed. Freedom to raise your children the way you want, to teach them what you want, is a fundamental right. If you open the door to prosecuting parents for raising fat kids, all kinds of other freedoms are in jeopardy.
joe_doufu on July 22, 2009 at 2:33 PM
You mean the kid didn’t notice he was getting as big as a house ? where’s his responsibility in all this ? this doesn’t happen overnight.
Sasnak on July 22, 2009 at 2:33 PM
It’s the parents fault if they don’t seek medical help and follow the advice of a doctor. It’s the parents fault if they are paying for all this food. It isn’t cheap feeding a 400lb kid and he isn’t paying for it himself.
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:34 PM
This is one of those cases where you trust the judgment of a jury, hearing all the facts, and the applicable law.
We either believe in our system, or we don’t.
Ragspierre on July 22, 2009 at 2:34 PM
There is no right to abuse or neglect your kid. Get that out of your heads now.
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:34 PM
People can do what they want. If I have to accept “Choice”
when it comes to abortion, then no choice is out of bounds.
It isn’t my problem or business that these fat f*cks don’t mix in a vegetable once in a while.
skree on July 22, 2009 at 2:35 PM
Michelin man!!
Nah I shouldn’t tease
I truly pity people like this
blatantblue on July 22, 2009 at 2:36 PM
So there’s no such thing as a fat child raised by both parents?
hicsuget on July 22, 2009 at 2:36 PM
That’s right. He probably was a fat toddler. Damn those two year olds! Don’t they know how to eat properly!
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:36 PM
He grazes on his own. Can’t stop him and no one complains that their grass is getting cut.
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 2:36 PM
I think there’s more to the story in that there was less intrusive intervention by authorities that mom continued to ignore leading up to finally taking criminal action. This case is extreme and not close to the edge of the slippery slope.
califdreamnred on July 22, 2009 at 2:37 PM
So…. now if parents can get charged for allowing kids to get fat … how is child services gonna respond when kids call in complaining their parents are starving them. And for the record that has already happened more than once in our county. Luckily we have some people with common sense out here in flatland and the cases went nowhere, but the parents still received the official visits and were investigated. Too much big government = the root of all evil.
MidWestFarmer on July 22, 2009 at 2:37 PM
The one thing that absolutely won’t help is federal intervention.
JohnJ on July 22, 2009 at 2:37 PM
I would think breeding should be hard to near impossible at that weight. So some future costs could be lessened.
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:37 PM
What could mom do? She obviously has no medical insurance and therefore could not take the son to a doctor.
Expect to see this boy tonight as the poster child for Obamacare.
marybel on July 22, 2009 at 2:37 PM
I wish this case didn’t have to be criminal… but come on, the most evil thing a parent can do IMO is stock the pagentry with crappy food that’s bad for you… I know from experience and I had to confront my mom over it at the beginning of high school…
ninjapirate on July 22, 2009 at 2:37 PM
The mother doesn’t exactly look skinny either. So some of it may be hereditary, but at the same time to be 14 and 555 pounds, this is mainly his fault. It’s not like she shoved the food down his throat.
MobileVideoEngineer on July 22, 2009 at 2:37 PM
WJ, dead-on, as per Lenin:
Destroy the family, and the society will collapse.
– Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
Socialism has targeted the family for destruction. Eliminate God from the public forum. Destroy the concept of marriage. Approve of homosexual marriage. Approve of abortion. Destroy the family.
And, when society collapses, it will turn to the State for guidance. That is what the Socialists want.
OhEssYouCowboys on July 22, 2009 at 2:38 PM
How do you know that the kid didn’t raise holy hell, with some insane temper tantrums, whenever he isn’t getting as much food as he wants?
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 2:38 PM
Ummm… turkey baster…
Ragspierre on July 22, 2009 at 2:39 PM
+10
This is a chance for conservatives to come out for the mom and expose government-intsrusion into our personal lives. The connection to Obamacare writes itself.
mankai on July 22, 2009 at 2:39 PM
eh, that would be the pantry… and yes, giving your child not the option to eat healthy it torture…
ninjapirate on July 22, 2009 at 2:39 PM
This kid needs a gastric bypass. Whether the Gubmint should pay for it, I’ll leave to other commenters.
Steve Z on July 22, 2009 at 2:39 PM
Just last night I am walking into a Gymnastics facility with my 4 year daughter while a LARGE man was walking out. She says to me, “Dad, look at that fat man.” Thank goodness we were not in an ear shot yet.
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:40 PM
It probably didn’t have to but for the fact that when a parent is uncooperative and actively works against their child’s best interests they don’t leave people much choice.
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:40 PM
Personally for me it would depend on if the child has an outstanding medical condition. If he has an imbalance in his limp nodes or something, then there’s not much she can do but follow doctors orders. Certainly not something that should involve the police or CPS. If however she’s letting him eat himself to this state, then CPS would be more called for than throwing the mom/dad in jail.
McBaine on July 22, 2009 at 2:40 PM
That is a parenting problem that started before the boy became obese.
thomasaur on July 22, 2009 at 2:40 PM
Responsible parents don’t cave to a
fitflop…Ragspierre on July 22, 2009 at 2:40 PM
I cannot wait until I am paying for his healthcare.
myrenovations on July 22, 2009 at 2:40 PM
Save the wales.
seven on July 22, 2009 at 2:41 PM
I have extended family members who are obese and it breaks my heart. They grew up extremely fat, never eating properly. There was no supervision of their diet. It is a form of abuse, but I’m not sure I want the government stepping in and arresting parents over it.
Star20 on July 22, 2009 at 2:41 PM
The poor girl would be (literally) crushed.
Steve Z on July 22, 2009 at 2:41 PM
We are all Marxists now. This place is getting a little freaky.
I would rather arrest a Mom for being a liberal.
faraway on July 22, 2009 at 2:42 PM
homeboy is smiling!
conservador on July 22, 2009 at 2:42 PM
I guess any thought of letting kids participate in any sports that might be dangerous is totally off-limits (to those who are pro-arrest, here).
P.S. riding in a car is damned dangerous, by the numbers. It could be considered reckless and negligent for any parent to allow their kid to ride in a car.
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Of course that happens. But, when I was a boy, it was rare. And when it did happen, it wasn’t morbid obesity.
It has already been reported that, for the first time in the history of this country, the lifespan of today’s children will be LESS than the lifespan of their parents.
OhEssYouCowboys on July 22, 2009 at 2:42 PM
The laws of thermodynamics say that you don’t produce fat unless you consume calories. It can’t be produced any other way.
Ragspierre on July 22, 2009 at 2:42 PM
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 2:38 PM
So the kid acts just like parts of the American electorate?
IlikedAUH2O on July 22, 2009 at 2:42 PM
That bypass may get an INterstate 2## or 3## designation (e.g., I-294 in Chicago).
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Wow. Afraid of a toddler, are you? Can’t be bothered acting like a parent?
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Mom ain’t exactly Twiggy, herself.
bloggless on July 22, 2009 at 2:43 PM
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 2:38 PM
If you are the partent you’re in charge if you cannot handle the responsibility there are other options available.
This case is more about a parent’s irresponsibility than anything else had her child gotten hurt while playing with gas and matches she left out in the kitchen would you still defend her?
LincolntheHun on July 22, 2009 at 2:43 PM
This is where we need to step in and help the mom and kid…not criminal, but neglectful, and to put in highly technical terms, “really really stupid”.
So now we have to arrest parents where kids have acne? Or skinny? How about a stutterer?
right2bright on July 22, 2009 at 2:43 PM
If Obamacare passes that is a given.
thomasaur on July 22, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Surgeon General?
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:44 PM
A poster who never had kids?
right2bright on July 22, 2009 at 2:44 PM
I had better put my cigarette away, before any of the nanny-staters smell it through the computer and report me to the second-hand smoke cops, as some kid might be breathing some in through vents ….
progressoverpeace on July 22, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Laziness and incompetence have been rewarded by our government for years……what makes this any different?
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 2:45 PM
If you were on the jury, would you find a parent liable for any of that?
Ragspierre on July 22, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Save the wales.
seven on July 22, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Lol you are a bad bad man/woman!!
blatantblue on July 22, 2009 at 2:45 PM
I had a friend in, I think it was 8th grade, and he was easily the biggest kid in school. Maybe not quite as big as the kid in the pic, but pretty close. He was a friend of mine and I went and hung out at his house a few times. I was blown away at the amount of candy his Mom had around the house in giant candy dishes. It’s no wonder the kid was so big, and it was her fault for sure. People just don’t balloon up that big from eating right.
Criminal? No. Bad parenting and neglect? Definitely.
Geronimo on July 22, 2009 at 2:46 PM
If the car is operated in a reckless and negligent manner, it would be criminal. The tough part is defining criminal negligence but it does exist.
califdreamnred on July 22, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Why on earth are you believing that they didn’t try to intervene through the kids doctor and cps first?
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:46 PM
The new Surgeon general should be arrested according to Ed.
faraway on July 22, 2009 at 2:46 PM
I would be willing to bet that this is generational.
thomasaur on July 22, 2009 at 2:46 PM
If this stands, there’s going to be a lot of parents in jail.
Every other kid I see these days is overweight.
Welcome to the age of XBox and Nintendo.
Knucklehead on July 22, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Neglect is child abuse.
Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Between the mom and the kid they should have their own zip-code.
fourdeucer on July 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Bald men should be rounded up next. :)
faraway on July 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Whenever this happens it reminds me of the writer from India who was asked why she desired to visit America.
She responded:
“I always wanted to visit a country where the poor people were fat.”
right2bright on July 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM
This is way past child neglect — it’s child abuse!
lonestar1 on July 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Welcome to the age of XBox and Nintendo.
Knucklehead on July 22, 2009 at 2:46 PM
nintendo is so 1999
blatantblue on July 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Put that cigarette out!! I have a one of these hooked up to my computer.
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Actually, I raised this point from a different perspective on another post, but nobody commented. African American women have the highest incidence of overweight and obesity in the country. Obesity and overweight are directly related to Diabetes, Respiratory illness, Skeletal pain, blood pressure, thyroid, heart, and vascular problems. Who is going to make these people lose weight and why do I have to pay for it? I do not think Obamy is being honest with those who have the African American experience. Why doesn’t he pony up and tell the truth. Why should the government have to pay for these people’s healthcare, when they ususally hold the key.
bloggless on July 22, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Wii Fit time?
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Richard, I do believe my friends Mom was a single parent, if I remember correctly.
Geronimo on July 22, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Oh and knucklehead
it’s xbox 360 now
thanks.
:D
blatantblue on July 22, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Video games, cable television, computers and that damned Facebook infatuation haven’t helped, either. When I was a boy, we walked everywhere. And we were always outside playing football, basketball, catching crawdads in the creek, etc. We didn’t have all of the techonological crap that kids have now. And I’m glad for that.
Nowadays, kids are just on their asses way too much.
OhEssYouCowboys on July 22, 2009 at 2:50 PM
So, if we are going to arrest a parent for child abuse, making a child obese, what about the kids that join gangs and commit crimes, kids that rape and murder…….I’ve always believed that the parents should share in the responsibility of their kid’s crimes if they are under the age of 18….you see the kid, railing against society, and then you see the waste of air parents defending them, usually blaming teachers or police officers for not taking care of their children.
Criminal or monetary, let’s make a difference.
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 2:50 PM
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Wii boxing is a workout!
Try five or six rounds!
blatantblue on July 22, 2009 at 2:51 PM
This is a tough one. Think about it. No one this fat got that way by himself. “Blake on July 22, 2009 at 2:34 PM” is right — the kid isn’t paying for his food, and he probably isn’t fixing it for himself. He probably isn’t even having to move into another room to GET it.
Behind every enormously fat kid is a parent, usually mom, who enables his or her eating habits. In fact, most colossally obese adults (the really huge Dick Gregory cases) are being fed by someone else, because they either can barely get out of bed, or can’t do it at all.
Charging Mom with child abuse? Not sure I would go that far. But requiring her to get her kid into a program, and get counseling herself so she’ll stop thinking whatever she’s thinking, as she grossly overfeeds the boy? A start.
The principle, to me, seems to be that “a priori” intervention — like laws against transfats and criminalizing corn syrup — is an improper, invalid use of state power. And there is no pretext for intervention at all, when all parties are competent adults. Intervention should only occur when there are demonstrable results, involving a minor.
Again, this is a tough one. I wouldn’t whack Mom in the head with a child abuse charge right out of the gate. But it doesn’t seem humane or responsible to just leave the teenage boy in circumstances that are probably going to kill him at an early age.
J.E. Dyer on July 22, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Have a couple of business location is south Chicago (one being the Roseland neighborhood that Obama “served” as a community organizer), I can say I am amazed at the the amount of fried food restaurants. Fried fish is everywhere.
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Pipe down, brat! :)
HornetSting on July 22, 2009 at 2:51 PM
I can’t get the clip to run so I don’t know the whole story, but the kid needs a medical workup to see what’s going on with his thyroid, possible diabetes, etc. If it’s just that he’s overeating to that extent maybe he needs a psychiatric evaluation. There are lots of reasons people eat too much.
Perhaps gastric bypass could help get him over the hump of not being able to do exercise, which creates a vicious circle – as well as retraining his body to recognize appropriate amounts of food.
A person who’s never had to deal with certain medical problems should not be making the decisions about what weight limits should be considered parental abuse. The better approach would be to try to help the family out of whatever is causing the problem, if that can be discovered.
justincase on July 22, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Who paid for all that food? (gee I wonder)
I’ll say it again…
Food stamps should be for staples, rice, beans, meat, etc.
NOT freakin potato chips and pepsi cola!
max1 on July 22, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Ugh.
Moralizing a-holes want to use the power of the state to make people weigh as much as they think they should weigh.
And don’t give me the “child” crap.
I don’t care how much the kid weighs. He puts that food in his mouth. Unless she had him hooked up to a sugar pump that forced sugar down his throat 18 hours a day it is no one else’s business.
Aquateen Hungerforce on July 22, 2009 at 2:52 PM
I think it’s neglect and/or abuse. These kids could die by age 30. It’s a goddamn crime.
Dr. Manhattan on July 22, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Basically, people in the poverty level, or lower income have the highest incidence of overweight.
The black culture has a higher percentage (especially the single mom) then any other so that inflates (excuse the pun) the figures of black women being overweight.
It may have to do more with economic, and education.
right2bright on July 22, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Hey, hey, hey…maybe fat Alex is just havin’ a good time.
James on July 22, 2009 at 2:53 PM
atheling on July 22, 2009 at 2:53 PM
I want to know how his single mother pays for enough food to get that kid in that condition.
If she is using food stamps, then I prefer to heap the blame on the goverment enablers.
myrenovations on July 22, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Now look at me. I am sitting on my arse all day making snide comments and some poignant politically comments on HotAir all day! ;-)
WashJeff on July 22, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Yeah but he can’t decide when to stop eating? A lot of the food I eat is considered junk food. I just don’t eat enough of it to gain 400 pounds. Cripes.
Aquateen Hungerforce on July 22, 2009 at 2:54 PM
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