Eating Disorders and the Law

After watching something on the news about a woman who is being charged with criminal neglect for "allowing" her son to become extremely obese, I began to wonder if the same applies to the parents of children who suffer from severe eating disorders. Does it? And moreover, would the parents still be charged if they could not afford treatment? What happens if all of the treatment centers available reject a child for being too extreme a case for their respective facilities to handle? 

I would think if any parent simply ALLOWED their children to starve themselves - the parents would be charged with some sort of criminal neglect: I do recall a story about a mother who was trying to feed her baby VEGAN at by the age of 6 months the baby died from malnutrition... and she got in a lot of trouble for that. Here is the article actually: and it was a couple... and they got LIFE IN JAIL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18574603/

This is a very interesting topic. I would say it depends upon the parents efforts/age of child. Certainely the 9,10 year olds who starve themselves to emaciated levels without parent intervention should be treated differently than the parents who are trying with every ounce of energy to get their children to eat/get them in therapy.

When I was at my lowest weight and not even able to walk most days, my mother was too wrapped up in her own life to even try to intervene or care. If I was younger and less responsible for my actions/choices, I think that could be considered neglect and abuse just as letting your child become morbidly obese might be.

Original Post by giasbash6260:

I would think if any parent simply ALLOWED their children to starve themselves - the parents would be charged with some sort of criminal neglect: I do recall a story about a mother who was trying to feed her baby VEGAN at by the age of 6 months the baby died from malnutrition... and she got in a lot of trouble for that. Here is the article actually: and it was a couple... and they got LIFE IN JAIL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18574603/

 

 

I agree with what the prosecution had to say in this case. Whether they did it intentionally or not, the fact of the matter is that the couple did not feed their son enough food. If they had been truly committed to ensuring the well-being of their son while simultaneously passing on their lifestyle, then they would have taken it upon themselves to accommodate their son's nutritional needs appropriately. 

Original Post by ecwk6:

This is a very interesting topic. I would say it depends upon the parents efforts/age of child. Certainely the 9,10 year olds who starve themselves to emaciated levels without parent intervention should be treated differently than the parents who are trying with every ounce of energy to get their children to eat/get them in therapy.

When I was at my lowest weight and not even able to walk most days, my mother was too wrapped up in her own life to even try to intervene or care. If I was younger and less responsible for my actions/choices, I think that could be considered neglect and abuse just as letting your child become morbidly obese might be.

I see what you mean. There is hardly a consensus among the general population regarding the parent's role in their child's life as he or she grows closer to adulthood. Hence why making a law based on a child's combined weight and actions poses a particularly difficult challenge. 

Interesting issue, but I also think it's dangerous applying legal repercussions to something so ambiguous and unquantifiable.  In defence of parents, despite best intentions, it's often extremely difficult halting an eating disorder when it's entwined with more complex issues of relationships, affections, anguish, deeper underlying disturbances, family dynamics, etc.  It's also impossible to determine the intentions of families - anorexia is a persistent and stubborn illness, and it can persist and flourish despite intense concern and attempted intervention from parents/professionals.  Additionally, from experience, whilst anorexic, I was intensely manipulative and deceptive, controlling my mother and fervently preventing her from recognising the problem and tackling it.  We're not dealing with simple black-and-white situations, they're far more intricate and complex than that.  Obviously if a parent incessantly denies a blatantly obvious issue or recognises a problem yet avoids seeking help out of sheer laziness, that's dispicable and requries addressing, but overall, it's typically the eating disorder that's in control, manipulating and engulfing the family, such that despite intense care/anguish, parents are sometimes relatively powerless.

Additionally, the obesity legal intervention is another issue to consider and it upsets me frankly - in some circumstances, obviously a degree of neglect is potentially involved, but there's also a plethora of other possible explanations - genetics, thyroid conditions, and so on.  If blatant negligence is provable then outrage is understandable [e.g. parents indulge in nutritional ignorance and purchase exclusively junk food], but in other cases, it's bordering on profound and unacceptable discrimination.

Original Post by rose_intense:

Additionally, the obesity legal intervention is another issue to consider and it upsets me frankly - in some circumstances, obviously a degree of neglect is potentially involved, but there's also a plethora of other possible explanations - genetics, thyroid conditions, and so on.  If blatant negligence is provable then outrage is understandable [e.g. parents indulge in nutritional ignorance and purchase exclusively junk food], but in other cases, it's bordering on profound and unacceptable discrimination.

Yes, you make an interesting point about the intricacy of the issue itself. For example, in the case I referenced in my original post, the mother in question is in a very poor socioeconomic situation, circumstances that have forced her to take on as many as three different jobs all at once. Moreover, the mother claims, she could rarely afford to stock her home with much food, let alone the surplus required to drive her son's weight to such a high, and in turn, dangerous degree. That said, the team working for her defense has evidence to support the idea that the son did much of his excess eating at school, where he would often consume multiple lunches, and even receive additional food from peers. So, in the end, one must ask if the mother can really bare the brunt of the responsibility (or rather, lack thereof) for this. 

Original Post by rose_intense:

Interesting issue, but I also think it's dangerous applying legal repercussions to something so ambiguous and unquantifiable.  In defence of parents, despite best intentions, it's often extremely difficult halting an eating disorder when it's entwined with more complex issues of relationships, affections, anguish, deeper underlying disturbances, family dynamics, etc.  It's also impossible to determine the intentions of families - anorexia is a persistent and stubborn illness, and it can persist and flourish despite intense concern and attempted intervention from parents/professionals.  Additionally, from experience, whilst anorexic, I was intensely manipulative and deceptive, controlling my mother and fervently preventing her from recognising the problem and tackling it.  We're not dealing with simple black-and-white situations, they're far more intricate and complex than that.  Obviously if a parent incessantly denies a blatantly obvious issue or recognises a problem yet avoids seeking help out of sheer laziness, that's dispicable and requries addressing, but overall, it's typically the eating disorder that's in control, manipulating and engulfing the family, such that despite intense care/anguish, parents are sometimes relatively powerless.

I agree, I have been on both ends of the eating disorder, having one myself and unfortunately having passed this addiction on to my daughter inherently.  The best I can do is show her a healthy lifestyle and encourage her to be active with me but I can only Police her when I am with her. ED is a secretive disease and from experience I know how sneaky one can be when starving or binge eating.

My friend down the street, when I was like 3 years old, had a mother who insisted on feeding all three of her girls skim milk (her 4 year old, 2 year old, and infant). My mom was SO angry at her because babies and children NEED the milk fat to develop healthy brains and gain weight.

Some people just shouldn't be parents.