Q&A
Is denying a child a necessary medical procedure child abuse?
My ex and I have a 13 y/o daughter and we share custody of her. She was born with a large birthmark on her left cheek and now that she’s getting older, she is embarrassed by it and wants to have it removed. Her mother is from Iran and is Muslim, and she refuses to let our daughter have any procedure to remove the mark because she says it’s ‘plastic surgery’ and against her religion. My daughter is suffering because her mother is being unreasonable and I want to charge her mother with child abuse. I’ve read that withholding necessary medical care is a form of child abuse under Florida law. Both my daughter and I feel this procedure is necessary for her emotional well-being and her doctor agrees. If the mother is found guilty of child abuse, does that give my daughter and me the right to get her the surgery?