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Adoption - Should Fat People Be Allowed to Adopt?

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Replies

  • moe0303
    moe0303 Posts: 934 Member
    moe0303 wrote: »
    moe0303 wrote: »
    My understanding is that BMI was designed to be used as an indicator of current body mass for populations.

    Roads were paved for bicyclists, now we identify them to drive cars and sometimes maim cyclists. Things change. It's not always for the best, but it's life.

    People use BMI as a quick and dirty indicator for people, because it works 99% of the time. Even if your gym is full of ripped bros, there are 7 billion people in the world. Most of them don't exercise more than they have to. Of the small share of people who exercise at all, lots of them run but don't lift, etc. Statistically, across the entire population, BMI gets you in the right ballpark almost always. Remember we're talking statistics over a very large population, we're not just talking bros.

    Actually, we are talking about a single individual wanting to adopt, but I concede that the degree to which they have set the limit adequately compensates for the limits of BMI as applied to an individual.

    So in the case of this one individual, did BMI get it wrong, or had this whole thing been a waste of time?

    You guys are the ones who keep bringing it up. I said in my reply to you:
    I concede that the degree to which they have set the limit adequately compensates for the limits of BMI as applied to an individual.
    If they had chosen to set the limit in the "Overweight" range, I think they would have gotten it wrong a significant number of times...if it was used as the only indicator.
  • FaithfuLEEfit
    FaithfuLEEfit Posts: 72 Member
    urloved33 wrote: »
    and god forbid what if someone significantly obese wanted to adopt to have a child to wait on them? (see my 600 lb life they all have people waiting on them)
    :D:D:D

  • runnermom419
    runnermom419 Posts: 366 Member
    My sister struggles with fertility. They are looking at Foster to Adopt. She's obese but would make a better mom than most. That's horse hocky.
  • an0393na
    an0393na Posts: 840 Member
    Why the hell not??!
    Just because someone is fat does not mean they'd not be a good parent - far from it in most cases actually...
  • euronorris
    euronorris Posts: 211 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    ginagurl79 wrote: »
    Well look at these numbers/at 5’2 id be a bag of bones at 110. tyeo6i7cx2k0.jpeg

    But that's not BMI. I don't know what the heck it is, but for the heights that I'm familiar with, those "ideal" weights would be classified underweight by BMI.

    For a 5'7" female, it's smack bang in the middle of the healthy BMI range. It's my current target (gotta start somewhere).
  • Kiyomoo
    Kiyomoo Posts: 354 Member
    Knowing that someone was rejected from adopting due to their weight upsets me greatly. It makes absolutely no sense to me. "Shortened expected life span" is not a good reason to refuse to let someone adopt, unless there is overwhelming evidence that they more than likely will die before the child is 18. Obesity alone is not "evidence" that someone will die within the next 18 years. Look at me, I've been in that obese category for about that many years and there's no reason for me to think I'm going to die soon. My doctor has remarked that I am actually incredibly healthy despite my weight.

    There are two more things to consider:
    1. An obese parent can lose weight within the next 18 years.
    2. A skinny parent can gain weight within the next 18 years.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,816 Member
    Some places write adoption laws as if there's an overwhelming amount of people willing to adopt just a few kids in need of homes, when in reality it is the opposite. Everywhere in the world has way more children that need homes than those who are willing to provide them. Unless someone has health conditions (and being obese ain't it) that would greatly interfere with their ability to adequately raise the child, they should be encouraged, not denied.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,224 Member
    edited February 2019
    It seems some of the arguments being presented assume that there’s a line of rejected just barely obese people clamoring to adopt children who have or are currently facing years in the foster system.

    As @kimny72 mentioned, this question was posed in response to a morbidly obese (the “extreme obesity” section of the chart a few posts up-the level of obesity where WLS is encouraged because the risks of remaining that obese exceed the risks of surgery) woman, trying to adopt a baby.

    While I don’t have any evidence or statistics to support one way or another, based on some posts up thread it seems the demand for adoptable babies far exceeds supply (and agencies can set whatever guidelines they choose as exclusionary as due to demand, they have the luxury of choosing whoever they deem to be the best possible parents) and supply of adoptable children older than babies vastly exceeds demand (and some requirements seem waived to allow these adoptions to take place-at least sometimes).

    I could be very wrong. I have no proof of anything.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited February 2019
    jgnatca wrote: »
    There’s a glut of couples wanting a baby for adoption.

    There’s a glut of children in the foster care system who would love a chance in a loving adoptive home.

    My first thought was that an obese parent would have a tough time chasing after a toddler. Or taking them to the park.

    So for baby adoption I figure the screeners can make the criteria as tough as they want.

    For older children, be generous. Loving parents can work around their disabilities and/or health issues.

    I advised my mentally ill son that I want a clean, pampered, doted-on grandchild like I have already. If he can provide all that, then all power to him. Painfully, gradually, he set aside the dream to father his own child. For the sake of his wife and the dream of a child who could have been. Now that’s love. That’s sacrifice.

    Though even then, there are plenty of people with mental illnesses who are responsible parents. I know multiple people who fall into that box, including some who have adopted their children.

    Of course there are also people with mental illnesses who one could easily predict would be a bad parent and others who flat out are poor parents in part because of their mental health issues. Your son is apparently one of those people (note - I am not trying to invalidate your son's decision). At the end of the day that's part of why this isn't black and white.

    edit: and by "responsible parents", I mean what you would expect from a parent good. Not just a "well they're keeping the kid alive..." sort of situation.
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