Parental Neglect a Thorny Issue

“Parental neglect” is a tricky term that may indicate just the opposite: devoted parents who care for their children, but in a way authorities oppose, Kate Dailey writes in Newsweek. It’s a paradox illustrated by two moms who fled with their sons this week, one to prevent him from receiving chemo—she prefers holistic healing—and the other perhaps too poor to hire a doctor for her 555-pound son.

South Carolina officials say the mother of overweight, 14-year-old Alexander Draper is neglecting him. But neglect isn’t always clear-cut, writes Daily, and poverty complicates matters. “Even when parents love their children, the government often has to determine if that love is enough. It's never easy, it's always heartbreaking and—worst of all—the child loses out, one way or another.”
(More Daniel Hauser stories.)