Damien and Charlotte Hall have been denied adoption because of his obesity
I’ve got something to share with you today that just absolutely makes my blood boil because it’s wrong on so many levels. According to this Yahoo News story, an infertile British couple has been denied the joy of adopting a baby into their family until the husband loses weight. That’s right, they’ve told him that he’s TOO FAT to be a worthy dad to a needy child! Sick, sick, sick!
Damien and Charlotte Hall got the news after they approached the Leeds City Council in West Yorkshire, England about adopting a baby following their discovery that they can’t have any biological children of their own. But at the age of 37, the 6’1″ Damien weighs in at 343 pounds which makes him morbidly obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 45.2. The local authorities have insisted he lose more than 41 pounds to reduce his BMI to below 40 before they’d approve of Damien and Charlotte to become parents.
In a letter from the Leeds City Council, the Halls were told in no uncertain terms that their medical advisers were quite concerned over Damien’s obesity because of the potential “health risks” involved.
“The Adoption Panel are unlikely to approve applicants with a BMI over 40 because of the long term health risks,” the letter stated. “It would therefore be to your advantage to begin the assessment with an up to date medical where your BMI is clearly recorded as being under 40 and to demonstrate that you are able to maintain this weight loss over the period of the assessment.”
TRANSLATION: You better start losing some weight, ya big fattie!
Okay, timeout for moment so I can get this off my chest. This story really hits home for me because Christine and I have been struggling with infertility and what to do about starting a family ever since our failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle in December 2007. We are looking into the possibility of adoption, although we’ve heard some rather gut-wrenching horror stories of people going through that emotional experience that we’re taking the process slowly right now. Hearing about The Halls and what they are going through just made me ache for them that much more.
What right does a local City Council have to tell a well-suited couple they CAN’T adopt a needy child who needs a loving home? Sure, they can’t have a baby of their own, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make good parents. What about all those morbidly obese men who ARE fertile and making babies left and right? Is the government swooping and telling them they can’t procreate and have children because of the “health risks” associated with their obesity? Of course not because that would be illegal. How is this example with the Halls any different?
And why is BMI the litmus test for what is considered a “healthy” weight? BMI is bunk! As it stands today, my BMI is 30 which puts me right on the borderline of being considered an obese man according to those standards. But does that make my health too poor for me to be a good father? I think not. Let’s look at the facts: my HDL is fantastic at 65, my triglycerides are also superb at 86, my LDL particle size is comprised of 98% of the large, fluffy, protective kind, and I’m more active and energetic today at 37 years old than I’ve ever been in my entire life. My health is HARDLY an issue.
Nobody who knows me would even question my adequacy to take care of a child and be around for many years to come to watch him or her grow up. However, what if some government body in America declared that nobody with a BMI higher than 25 would be allowed to adopt a child? Would there be outrage and disgust? YOU BET THERE WOULD and I’d be on the front line leading the charge against it, too! While I’m not arguing that Damien Hall shouldn’t try to lose some weight for the sake of his own health and ability to be there for the child he adopts (because he could stand to lose over 100 pounds and likely do it quite easily on a low-carb lifestyle plan), the bottom line is his weight does not make him an unfit parent.
In an interview with BBC radio, Damien admits “I’m too fat,” but says the pressure of trying to shed the pounds before he’d be allowed to adopt is too much for him to handle right now.
“I’m not a couch potato and I don’t sit eating takeaways every night,” he said. “I just feel as though we were only judged on my weight and not all the other good things about us. We don’t drink or smoke and we could give a child a happy and safe home.”
Damien’s wife Charlotte said being denied a child because of something this frivolous was a “gutting” experience.
“To be turned down flatly just on that, it’s just harsh,” Charlotte admitted. “We’re here ready to take a child on. They seem to be saying it’s better for them to be in care and being shoved from pillar to post just in case Damien dies.”
You can understand the disappointment the Halls are going through and the Leeds City Council felt compelled to respond to their decision to deny their adoption.
“The council’s adoption service has a legal responsibility to ensure that children are placed with adopters who are able to provide the best possible lifelong care,” they said in a statement. “Part of this responsibility is advice for applicants on a range of suitability criteria, including any health and lifestyle issues which may impact on an applicant’s long term ability to adopt.”
Okay, so using this standard set forth by the local authorities, are smokers forbidden to adopt because of their “health and lifestyle issues?” What about potential parents who work in a dangerous profession like construction, law enforcement, or as a firefighter? Would this threaten the ability to “provide the best possible lifelong care?” The list goes on an on beyond obesity, but it seems weight is the only one being scrutinized under this policy and none of the others. If you ask me, this proves fat discrimination lives on in 2009!
Tens of thousands of children in the UK and hundreds of thousands more worldwide need families to adopt them so they’ll have a chance at getting a normal childhood so they can grow up to be productive adults and members of society. The Halls have been happily married for over a decade and neither one of them smokes. They’d be PERFECT parents, but will now have to wait to experience the unique joy that comes from that–unless the Leeds City Council changes their mind about their asinine policy!
Let the Leeds City Council know what YOU think about their decision to deny the Halls access to a baby just because of their concerns over his obesity. Write your complaint and then e-mail it to complaints@leeds.gov.uk. I think they need to know what the court of public opinion thinks about their edict against the Halls.
What do you think about this decision to deny a couple the chance to adopt a baby because one of the potential parents is obese? Is it fair to a couple like Damien and Charlotte Hall to be held to a higher standard than a fortunate obese couple that happens to be able to conceive naturally? I’d love to know what you think, so leave your comments below! This should be quite a fire starter for feedback.
