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An Ottawa Dad is making headlines for saying that he is losing custody battle because he's obese. Our columnist dissects this hot issue.

http://lifestyle.sympatico.ca/family...dy_too_big.htm

An Ottawa judge has ruled that the father of two boys (who is not named), aged five and six, must have his children put up for adoption after determining that his extreme weight (now at 380 pounds, down substantially from his one time high of 525) and ruled that his battle with weight will not allow him to parent properly.

In his ruling, the judge did concede that while the father had made progress, it still wasn’t enough. "He has lost a substantial amount of weight through daily intensive exercise and dieting. (The father's) weight loss regime is itself a full-time job. So is parenting two high-needs children. One will inevitably have to give ground to the other."

While there is no doubt that parenting children can be more than a full time job, and that losing weight and getting into shape takes up a huge amount of time, is there a weight or health level that justifies taking children away from their parent? Apparently this judge thought so, and the child welfare employees assigned to the case backed it up. "His weight loss depends on an intensive daily exercise program. Parenting responsibilities will likely make it much more difficult for him to maintain his exercise schedule. He would be a single parent to two high-needs children in circumstances where a skilled, two-parent family would be challenged to cope."

According to reports, his ex-wife and mother of the boys lost custody of the children herself after a suspected overdose. The children have been under care with Children’s Aid, and the father has not seen them since last February. In addition to the health concerns he is facing, he has a reported history of spending long hours playing video games, being violent with case workers, and having had anger management issues. The case has gotten national attention because of the focus the judge put on his obesity as the main reason for taking his sons away from him.

Ironically, upon hearing the ruling to have his children put up for adoption, the father has indicated he will go on a hunger strike in protest.

This case raises interesting questions about the judicial system considering weight (specifically obesity) in family court matters. This is an interesting parallel to the mother who lost custody of her son last year (an eight year old who weighed 200 pounds), when she was considered to be responsible for his obesity. video and comments at link...