Couple Denied Adoption Due to Father’s Weight
In the U.K., a local council recently refused to allow one couple to adopt because the husband’s body mass index was more than 42 – categorizing him as morbidly obese. The council cited the man’s weight-related “health and lifestyle issues” as the reason for rejection the couple’s request. There was a similar case here in the States in 2007, when a family court judge ruled a man unfit as an adoptive parent because he weighed 500 pounds. Although the National Council for Adoption says that obesity itself does not disqualify someone as an adoptive parent as long as their weight does not pose undue risks to the child, the organization does admit that the long-term health risks associated with obesity can be a cause for rejection in certain circumstances.
In the U.S., anyone who applies to adopt a child is subjected to a lengthy home study by a licensed social worker, which includes a detailed investigation of their backgrounds along with the living conditions, health, security, and safety of their home. Some people will argue, of course, that weight should not be a factor in judging a given couple’s fitness to adopt, as long as they are capable of providing a child with a healthy, happy home. But, others point out that children should not be adopted into families where one or both parents suffer from a potentially life-threatening disease.
