Parents of obese boy refuse to hand him over to Galicia government

Parents of obese boy refuse to hand him over to Galicia government
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By m.p. - Nov 3, 2009 - 4:04 PM

The nine year old's parents - EFE archive

The nine year old went into respiratory failure when he weighed 81 kilos

A couple in Galicia who were ordered to give up custody of their 9 year old obese son say they will not hand him over to social services for the moment, until they get an answer on their request for him to remain at home, monitored by a specialist doctor. The boy’s whereabouts have been unknown since the court order was issued.

The regional government applied for custody after monitoring the child’s situation for the past 4 years, and repeated warnings to his parents of the risk his weight was causing to his health. It’s understood he now weighs 70 kilos, but the Xunta de Galicia were awarded care of the child after he went into severe respiratory failure in August when his weight was 81.5 kilos. He is reported by EFE to have weighed 83 kilos when he was only 5.

The parents say they are aware that they run the risk of being charged for refusing to give up their son and, through a statement read by their lawyer on Tuesday, asked the Xunta to reconsider their decision to put him into the care of a juvenile centre. The lawyer confirmed that he has applied to social services to allow him to remain at home, on the proviso that he be monitored by a specialist endocrinologist.

They admit in the statement that although they always previously gave in to him every time he asked for food, they now understand that their son has a problem with his health.

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