Thursday, March 1, 2012

How Parents are Using Child Obesity as a Weapon in Divorces


I was reading the County Bar Associations newsletter and came accross this interesting article that was writen by Tamara Abraham that I found very interesting and would like to share.

Family lawyers have revealed how child obesity is increasingly being used as an argument in divorce court custody battles.

They say separating parents in the U.S. are now regularly accusing one another of allowing children to eat too much junk food, and not encouraging them to do enough exercise.

Risk of bullying and obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, are often cited as reasons children should live with one parent rather than the other.

Douglas Gardner, a family lawyer in Arizona, told the Wall Street Journal: 'It's come up quite a bit in the last couple of years. 'Typically, one parent is accusing the other of putting a child at risk of developing diabetes or heart disease - or saying that the child is miserable because he's getting made fun of at school.'

While evidence and outcomes vary dramatically, it marks a shift in the nature of arguments employed in custody battles. Jeff Wittenbrink, a family law specialist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, added: 'It used to be constantly and consistently about smoking. It's only been recently where one parent thinks their kid's not active enough, is gaining weight and eating sugary food.' In a survey by TotalAttourneys.com, lawyers said that the subject was becoming a bigger issue in custody battles because the public is becoming more conscious than ever of the health risks associated with obesity.

'If all things are equal but one person only feeds fatty foods and the children have weight problems... it can become an important distinguishing factor'.

Indeed, the trend follows a series of high-profile cases and debates surrounding the subject.

In 2009, a 555 pound teenage boy in South Carolina was taken into state custody after his mother was arrested and charged with criminal neglect. And just this summer, Boston obesity expert David Ludwig sparked controversy when he wrote in an article that 'in severe cases of childhood obesity, removal from the home may be justifiable.'

But, legal experts warn, the obesity argument is only likely to have impact in severe cases. Chicago lawyer Jonathan Merel explained: 'If one side is scratching to find something wrong with the other person, the courts might not give it the same weight. 'If all things are equal but one person only feeds fatty foods and the children have weight problems, I think it can become an important distinguishing factor.'

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