Is Childhood Obesity Grounds for Foster Care?

A Boston doctor is arguing that extremely obese children should be taken away from their parents, for the sake of their health.

Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard obesity specialist, wrote an opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association saying that morbidly obese children should be placed in foster care until their health and eating habits are under control.

He insists that the aim is not to blame or punish parents, but to save children from potentially life-threatening complications of obesity such as type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea. Dr Ludwig sees this form of State intervention as a necessary measure to ensure the health and safety of the approximately 2 million very obese children in the United States. Foster care would be temporary and used only as a last resort, and counseling services would also be provided to the parents to teach them how to help their children maintain a healthy weight once they returned home.

Dr Ludwig cites a few cases where this has had positive results. One 12-year-old girl in his care weighed 400 pounds, and struggled with diabetes, cholesterol problems, high blood pressure and sleep apnea, all due to her weight. After one year in foster care, she had lost 130 pounds, and although she was still overweight she was much healthier.

It's an extreme idea, to deal with an extreme problem. But is it viable? There is some concern as to whether the State should have the right to remove children from their parents' custody on the grounds of overfeeding. Even if it's legal, is it really the best solution for the child, to rip apart a family rather than simply educating them and providing support systems?