David Drake: Judge Denies Fat Man Of Foster Parenting

Friday, July 27, 2007

Judge Denies Fat Man Of Foster Parenting

A judge in Missouri has ruled that a 500 pound man is not fit to be a foster parent. TV32.com:

A Missouri man said he's upset a judge took away a foster son because he is obese.

Gary Stocklaufer weighs 500 pounds. He said a family court judge ruled this week that he wasn't fit enough to be an adoptive father.

"It's out-and-out discrimination," Stocklaufer said.

Stocklaufer is a state-certified foster parent. He and his wife, Cynthia, had taken in baby Max from a cousin who couldn't raise him. The couple also has an adopted son named Bobby.

Stocklaufer said he and his wife wanted to formally adopt Max, so they went to family court and expected quick approval.

They didn't get it.

"We had Max for three months. He was taken away around the 13th of last month," Stocklaufer said. "He means the world to us, and our world has been taken out from underneath of us."

Stocklaufer said his weight should remain immaterial to his being an adoptive father.

"I mean, if I'm able to be a licensed foster care parent and we've had lots of kids in this home, then why would I not be able to adopt my own cousin?" Stocklaufer said. "We tried to follow all the legal steps, not knowing my weight would ever be an issue."

The ruling has shaken the couple's faith in the state's system.

"We're hurt, sad, frustrated," Cynthia Stocklaufer said. "We've tried to raise our child to believe the justice system will work for you."

"We understand they're out for the best interest of the child, but the state should not have this kind of authority," Stocklaufer said.

Coincidentally, the judge who ruled Stocklaufer unfit is the same judge who allowed the adoption of Bobby seven years ago.

[...]

"Under Missouri law, the court is required to consider the welfare and best interests of the child when determining whether or not an adoption should be approved, which is a complicated determination ... Factors to be considered include the petitioner's educational, financial, marital, medical and psychological status and criminal background check."

This is a perfectly reasonable ruling by the judge.

Let's apply Liberal Logic (if there is such a thing) to this case:

1) "It's For The Children": What is most important is the welfare of the children, right? This is what Libs tell us all the time. This is what they've told us for decades.

2) What if the morbidly obese trucker trips and falls on the child? If the trucker is rendered unconscious by the fall, the child could indeed die.

3) Many of us - including myself - have been overweight at times and then increased our exercise and decreased our diet and lost the weight. I'm not ripping on or talking about those of us who - from time to time - put on a "few" extra pounds. But it is safe to say that weighing in at 500 pounds does fit the definition of being morbidly obese. National Institutes of Health:

The term morbid obesity refers to patients who are 50 - 100% -- or 100 pounds above -- their ideal body weight. Alternatively, a BMI (body mass index) value greater than 39 may be used to diagnose morbid obesity.

We can almost all universally agree that smoking cigarettes or cigars around children could be harmful to their health. We can almost all universally agree that foster care could be legitimately denied to alcoholics or those who abuse drugs.

What if a morbidly obese foster parent got the munchies and decided to deep fry the children and eat them?

Why should being morbidly obese be any different? After all, "it's for the children."

Additional News items on this story:
Foster Father Too Overweight To Adopt USA Today Blog
Do 'Gay Adoption' Opponents Oppose 'Obese Adoption'? Christianity Today

In a related story, Obesity is contagious. Wow - I bet that's a shock to the three tubs of lard below:

No doubt about it - the industrialized world must institute a Fat Tax. BBC:

More than 3,000 fatal heart attacks and strokes could be prevented in the UK each year if [a Fat Tax] was slapped on a vast range of foods, say Oxford researchers.

// posted by David Drake @ 6:01 PM