Too Fat for Adoption

There is a news report on the BBC today about Leeds City Council refusing to allow a couple to be adopters because one of them is too fat. Apparently Damien and Charlotte Hall were told in a letter by the council that Mr Hall is too obese to be considered as an adopter and that he will only be considered when he loses weight.

It seems Mr Hall will have to bring his body mass index down below 40 before they will consider him. No doubt some of the press will have the usual field day with this and claim that the Council is interfering etc etc but I have to say that I think this is a very sensible decision. Far too many people seem to think that Adoption is there mainly for the benefit of adoptive parents. Well it isn't. Adoption is there mainly to benefit the children who are adopted and good for the council who put the needs of the child first. If this couple cant reasonably control their own weight what chance has any child who is given to them for adoption. Would they bring the child up with their own poor eating habits? Would the child be likely to end up being obese? Wouldn't Mr Hall be more likely to die young if he is obese?

There is terrible political correctness around about obesity sometimes I think. We tend not to call people obese unless we offend them. we don't like to call people fat we refer to them as large, or overweight or having a weight problem. Well I am sorry but obese is obese and fat is fat and we know the health problems that are linked to this. Who in their right mind would want to place a child for adoption with obese parents given the likelihood that this would result in the child suffering. This is a very sensible decision in my view.