Childhood Obesity – Mother Facing a Criminal Charge

Jerri Grey, a mother of a 14 year-old boy weighing 555 pounds, is facing felony charges. She neglected  her child’s welfare which was the cause of his morbid obesity. Look at the picture of this teenager. His  name is Alexander and he is suffering not from drug or alcohol abuse, but from a disease called “morbid  Obesity”. Friends, morbid obesity is a disease that can kill a person, if not treated properly. This boy is  14 and until he is an adult, his mother is responsible for his well being. At present he is in foster care.

Jerri Grey said that she had limited income and had to work full time, sometimes in three shifts to  support her family. She is a single mom. She admits that she could not take enough care of her son but  there was not much food or sweets in her house that could cause obesity. She did get fast food at times on hectic work days. School authorities say that Alexander used to eat several lunches in school and sometimes his friends used to supply food to him.

Now the question is should the mother be charged with criminal charges for neglecting her underage child? Should she be behind bars for being a bad mother and be held responsible for his morbid obesity? Grant Varner, the lawyer of Jerri Grey said that the mother cannot be held fully responsible because of her low income, hectic job and lack of control over what he ate in school. She took Alexander to a weight loss program where the institution didn’t have enough means to treat her child that resulted in filing this complaint.

The author of “Online Banking and Payment” said “Child obesity is at a peak in America. By blaming a mother this issue cannot be resolved. It is a social responsibility and fast food joints should also to be held responsible for this mishap. Fast food joints target low income group with hectic lifestyles. This segment is a buyer for cheap food with high calories. Government should take measures to control their massive advertising of unhealthy fattening food.”  NJ medical malpractice lawyers said “Parents need to be careful with the eating behavior of their kids. According to law, parents are responsible for actions taken by their underage kids.” Chicago trucking accident lawyer said “I know of kids stealing food from their kitchen. It’s hard to define good parenting and holding parents responsible for a child’s action. Children learn even from the society they are a part of. There are other complex issues like, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and juvenile crimes. Every time parents cannot be accused of being a failure.”