Negligence of Love

NESS CITY, Kan. — A man whose girlfriend authorities say spent nearly two years in a bathroom in their house, sitting on the toilet so long that the seat adhered to her body, has been charged with mistreatment of a dependent adult.


Where is this going? If he can be charged for allowing a dependent adult to remain in the bathroom for two years, can the caregivers of bariatric adults be charged for feeding them? There are more and more cases of bariatric patients who have lived on the same piece of furniture for years being brought to light by this 'War on Obesity'. What about the food delivery people, are they going to be held responsible for 'mistreatment of a dependent adult' when they deliver food to non-mobile bariatric humans?

Are caregivers and family members of diagnosed patients with mental illness going to be held accountable for not making them take their medications?

I won't argue that the story has very tragic and disturbing facts, but where does individual rights end and other people's responsibility begin? While the story might appear to be as simple as someone being charged for an apparent crime, but is that the entire issue?