Should Fat Kid Be Taken From Parent?

Via AOL News and from Jolly Olde Englande comes our libertarian ethics question of the day: Should an 8-year-old boy who tips the scales at 218 pounds (and god knows how many stones and kilos?) be taken away from his mother?

Some details:

Authorities are considering taking an 8-year-old boy who weighs 218 pounds into protective custody unless his mother improves his diet, officials said Monday. Social service officials will meet with family members Tuesday to discuss the health of Connor McCreaddie, who weighs more than three times the average for his age….

A spokeswoman for health officials in Wallsend, North Tyneside, 300 miles north of London, said the hearing was part of a process that could eventually lead to Connor being taken into protective care. She declined to comment further….

An unidentified health official was quoted as telling The Sunday Times that taking custody of Connor would be a last resort, but said the family had repeatedly failed to attend appointments with nurses, nutritionists and social workers.

"Child abuse is not just about hitting your children or sexually abusing them, it is also about neglect," the official was quoted as saying….

Connor's mother said he steals and hides food, frustrating her efforts to help him. He eats double or triple what a normal seven-year-old would have, she said.

Read the whole story here.

While I suspect that most Reason regulars will agree that the size your butt is not the government's business, at what exact tipping point does the size of a child's butt become same?