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Debate Info

19
10
Yes No
Debate Score:29
Arguments:16
Total Votes:38
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Argument Ratio

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 Yes (10)
 
 No (6)

Debate Creator

Dermot(5736) pic



Is it child abuse or neglect to overfeed a child to the point of obesity?

Yes

Side Score: 19
VS.

No

Side Score: 10
3 points

In my view willfully overfeeding your child to the point of unhealthy obesity should most definitely be deemed as child abuse.

Where, in such a scenario no malicious intention exists then this blatant dereliction of parental responsibility and disregard of their ''duty of care'' should be interpreted as criminal negligence and addressed with the appropriate laws.

Side: Yes
2 points

Agree totally Antrim 👌............................................

Side: Yes
2 points

It's deemed abuse to underfed a child the reverse should also be the case and the full force of the law applied

Side: Yes
2 points

If the reason for the obesity is because they are overfeeding or feeding the wrong kinds of food, then yes it is child abuse. They rely on the parent to give them the right nutrients, healthy food and guidance, that means the parent has to be a parent sometimes and not a friend and actually put their foot down on what their kids eat.

Side: Yes
2 points

Yes totally agree with you Mint ...........................

Side: Yes
2 points

It's deemed abuse to underfed a child the reverse should also be the case and the full force of the law applied

Hello D:

Couple things.

As you, yourself, noted, there's hunger in the world.. And, in dealing with legal matters, intent IS also a factor..

So, if there's an INTENT to harm a child by either under or over feeding them, then the full force of the law should apply. But, when there's no intent, there's no crime..

Mint hit upon it.. Often times starving children LOOK like they're overfed because fast food crap is the ONLY food poor people can afford.. Plus, they live in food deserts, where the only grocery stores are 7/Eleven's.. Plus, they're working two jobs and don't have time to cook even IF they had time to shop..

Plus, plus, plus... There are lots of reasons for hunger, and only one way to solve it.. That would be feeding them, of course, not killing them..

excon

Side: Yes
Dermot(5736) Disputed
1 point

You say .....So, if there's an INTENT to harm a child by either under or over feeding them, then the full force of the law should apply. But, when there's no intent, there's no crime........

So a parent is automatically absolved of a criminal act as in starving a child if there's no intent ?

A parent like that should have her kids put into care as they're not worthy to a parent whether no intent was involved , it would want to be a spectacularly stupid parent to not recognise neglect in front of his /her eyes .

I see no references to Mint saying any such thing and my question stated overfeeding

Side: No
1 point

Only if you're also willing to go after the food industry which all their lives tries to get them to eat sugar, fat, corn products, preservatives, pesticides, fast food chains, soda, and on and on.

I'm not saying the parents aren't responsible, I'm saying even the parents genuinely trying to feed them the right things in the right quantities find they are subverted by a culture and industry embracing the bad.

My 3 year old came home affectionately singing a song about all the fast food chains, most of which he has never been to. He speaks fondly of pizza though we can never get him to eat more than a nibble of it (because he doesn't like it yet, he just knows society says he is supposed to). He isn't obese, nor is his brother. But our culture is trying very hard, even in preschool, to penetrate and saturate the minds with what Big Food wants to sell to them.

Side: No
lnts(8) Disputed
1 point

See the companies purpose is not to get people fat but to make a product that will get them money and the people would enjoy, if a mother thinks its okay to over feed a child then that is her choice. And I am still in school and I do notice that teachers do embrace food a little more because its what gets our attention not because they think it is okay. I do not blame the companies for wanting to make a living off of the enjoyments of people but what they want is what they want. and also it says is it child abuse or neglect to overfeed a child to the point of obesity. I do not think that it is neglect nor child abuse but it does not go onto the companies shoulders for a mother to overfeed her child.

Side: Yes
1 point

I don't know if I would call it abuse or neglect but I would imagine that it would be very frowned upon

Side: No