Some time back on this blog, we posted an article about a Texas woman who lost custody of her daughter for spanking her on the butt with her hand. That story made national headlines, causing some to call into question whether the judge who issued the decision had placed his parental judgments over that of the child's mother.

A recent CNN article discussing recent Harvard research suggesting that inadequate or unskilled parental supervision can result in severely obese children who are prone to unhealthy societal influences. Those researches, in a commentary suggested that such behavior constitutes child abuse for which parents should face removal of child custody.

The commentators stated, "State intervention may serve the best interests of many children with life-threatening obesity, comprising the only realistic way to control harmful behaviors." They also state that California, Indiana, Iowa, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Texas have some legal precedent for such action.

Critics of the suggestion have said that the problem of obesity is not one that can is solely in the hands of parents, but that it is a societal problem. That suggestion is supported by the dramatic increase in obesity in the United States over the last 20 years.

Most states allow removal of children from custody of their parents only where there is a reason to believe they will suffer imminent serious physical harm, injury or death. Obesity doesn't fit into that traditional framework.

According to sources, 17 percent of children in the U.S. are considered obese. Obesity increases the risk of developing numerous health problems, including coronary heart disease, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes and mental health disorders.

Source: CNN, "Should parents lose custody of obese children?," Sabriya Rice, 13 July 2011.