A group of specialists from England and Ireland were able to elicit a reaction from ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross that ACSH staffers attempt on a daily basis: unbridled laugher. Apparently, all it takes is the publication of an article recommending the transplantation of obese children from their homes into foster care because of assumed parental negligence.
According to the authors of the paper published by the British Medical Journal online edition, obese children should be removed from their homes because obesity may often be a red flag for neglect or other familial problems, including sexual abuse during childhood, which apparently occurs in one-third of obese adults. “This is worse than bizarre — this defines slippery slope,” Dr. Ross manages to let out between chuckles. “First, they start with a completely unsupported thesis that obesity is caused by neglect. In the post-depression era, parents would actually indulge their kids with food all the time since thinness was a sign of poverty, while obesity represented good health and prosperity.”
While in agreement with Dr. Ross, ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan is troubled that a reputable publication would “convey legitimacy to such a bizarre study.” She adds, “That the British Medical Journal would publish an article that advocates taking obese children away from their parents and putting them in foster homes to allegedly cure the obesity problem is ludicrous.”
“If child protective services is to become involved with the parents of obese children at all, wouldn’t it be far more productive for nutritionists to discuss with parents the consequences of obesity and provide healthier guidelines for food preparation?” asks Dr. Ross. “Suggesting foster care is laughable, except that these folks are serious.”