Vegan Couple Convicted of Murdering Baby

[glossyp]

There must be more to this terribly tragic story of a vegan couple who were convicted of murdering their baby by starvation. Evidently they feed the baby boy primarily apple juice and soy milk. He weighed just 3 1/3 pounds when he died at the age of six weeks. They automatically received life sentences. Ignorance or intentional? The jury decided it was intentional. Regardless, what a horrible way for the baby to die.
WBS TV story (http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6461081).

Additional link with more info which is pretty damning to the parents (using the term "parents" loosely) AJC article (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/05/02/0503metvegan.htm). You have to register to read it.

[Miulang]

There must be more to this terribly tragic story of a vegan couple who were convicted of murdering their baby by starvation. Evidently they feed the baby boy primarily apple juice and soy milk. He weighed just 3 1/3 pounds when he died at the age of six weeks. They automatically received life sentences. Ignorance or intentional? The jury decided it was intentional. Regardless, what a horrible way for the baby to die.
WBS TV story (http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6461081).

Additional link with more info which is pretty damning to the parents (using the term "parents" loosely) AJC article (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/05/02/0503metvegan.htm). You have to register to read it.

Obviously an ignorant, clueless couple who didn't deserve to be parents. Instead of life sentences, they should have been forcefed hamburgers for 5 years.:mad:

Miulang

[pzarquon]

From the AJC article (I had to search to find the piece (https://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/05/03/0503metvegan.html), maybe they moved the link above):Fulton prosecutor Chuck Boring said the verdict isn't a condemnation of veganism, a strict form of vegetarianism that doesn't allow the consumption or use of animal products. Instead, jurors believed prosecutors' assertions that the couple intentionally neglected and underfed the child and then tried to use the lifestyle as a shield.

In similar cases, a New York jury convicted a vegan couple on murder charges in the death of their child, but a Florida jury was more lenient, acquitting vegan parents of murder and instead convicting them on reduced charges of involuntary manslaughter, an unintentional death. In that case, the couple had successfully raised two children as vegans, but their third child died.

"The vegan diet is fine," Boring said after the verdict in the Georgia case. "These parents lied about what they fed him. He just was not fed enough."I know some pretty hardcore vegans, a couple of them parents, and while their dietary choices provide lots of challenges, they knew what they were getting into and are raising some pretty awesome kids. Veganism definitely wasn't the issue here.

[tutusue]

I didn't register at the 2nd site but based on the first link there really must be more to it. It sounds like the victim wasn't under any medical care, well baby or otherwise. So tragic.

My daughter was born with a "digestive disturbance" that wasn't diagnosed 'til she was 4 years old. She was put on a soy milk formula when less than a week old and ate nothing else for at least a couple of months. She continued to grow in the lower percentile for her age but she did grow and gain weight altho' she was a petite infant and toddler.

[blueyecicle]

I wonder why they focused mostly on the Vegan instead of just neglect.
It is terrible and senseless, i am sure they could have educated themselves to the proper way to care for a child vegan or not.

It is their responsibility to figure it out. They should be prosecuted!

[Vanguard]

It's a simple thing to go vegan or vegetarian. The difficult part (it gets easier with time and experience) is selecting the right foods day after day. I've been lacto-vegetarian for 7 years, and I'm happy, doing contact sports, etc.

[Adri]

I wonder why they focused mostly on the Vegan instead of just neglect.

Probably because that was the crux of the defense so the prosecution had to address the claim that the parents didn't neglect the child, they were just vegan. I know a vegan family who all seem very healthy (they do take care to eat enough things to meet their nutritional requirements).

[lavagal]

My girls lived on mommy milk for their first 4-5 months; that would comply with veganism, wouldn't it? They continued for quite some time, but supplemented with solids. I just don't understand why more moms don't do it; it's not as hard as it seems and you don't have to have giant orbs to pull it off. I would attempt to explain that first time as a true leap of faith as a woman to do what your body was meant to do to sustain and nurture a life. Grimace and let that kid latch on. When you make eye contact with a nursing kid, there is so much exchanged between you.
Every day of a baby's life, and its family's life, should be better than the one before.

[craigwatanabe]

I used to produce a talk radio show called Nutrition and You with Dr. Terry Shintani (Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center) on KGU years ago. He's a vegan. While producing his show I used to sit on the other side of the broadcast booth eating a Whopper. He told me I was going to die from cardiac arrest one day. Well it's been twenty years since those days and I'm still alive and eating some pretty greasy stuff and my last blood test and Holistica Heart Scan told me I was healthy as an ox.

But as I type this post I'm eating an apple. For some reason I just had a craving for fresh fruit lately. Musta been all that grease spattering all over the kitchen from grilling those May's hamburger patties.

Before Terry, Nutrition and You was hosted by Dr. John Westerdall (Castle Medical Center's chief nutritionist at the time) and before that was Dr. John McDougal of the famed McDougal Diet. McDougal would kick back in the host chair fully reclined, legs up on the console and talk to one phone caller for over half an hour...never mind his show was only one hour long and we had a phone bank of ten callers lined up already.

I produced that show for over 10-years, and over that time period I learned a lot about eating healthy although I never exercised that knowledge.

Back OT, I think the story should have just limited it to the fact that the child was simply malnourished. It doesn't matter if you're a carnivore or a vegetarian. You underfeed your baby anything whether it's breast milk, formula or strained baby food, the baby's gonna suffer.

The diet shouldn't have been the issue, the amount of consumption should have. Bad parents...drug test them now! Thanks Waioli for that great idea:)

[timkona]

Vegan diets are dangerous for children unless the vegan parents have a clear understanding of the perils and pitfalls.

Healthy fats, B12, D, Calcium, Zinc, Iron, are but a few of the potential shortages that could kill you, or your child.

Humans are omnivores. So are our primate ancestors. The argument that we should eat a vegetarian diet is simply not that plausible. In my experience in South Kona, with some of my vegetarian and vegan friends, I can say honestly that none of them 'look' that healthy.

[craigwatanabe]

Tim has a point there. When babies are born those that are breast fed have faster brain development. The fat in mother's milk attach to the brain cells and helps the connection process allowing better cognative learning skills.

Eventually though that milk fat isn't neccessary and human babies start to ween themselves of breastfeeding as the body begins the process of lactose intolerance.

This first step in a baby's development is critical in their brain's growth.

As for healthy vegetarians, I've seen some, albeit not a whole lot. I've seen more malnourished vegetarians than healthy ones. But then again I've seen more overweight carnivores than vegetarians.:rolleyes:

[Surfingfarmboy]

In my experience in South Kona, with some of my vegetarian and vegan friends, I can say honestly that none of them 'look' that healthy.

Come on, Tim. I may not be a buddy-buddy "friend" of you, but we have met. (At La Mariana last December) Really, do I look all that unhealthy to you? (And to any other of the numerous HT'ers who have met me, do you think I look unhealthy?) I've been a vegetarian all my life, and in no way do I feel or believe I'm unhealthy or somehow in worse overall health (compared to one who is on a carnivourous diet) by virtue of my vegetarian diet. I've run 20 marathons to date, (21 coming up in December), have perfect blood pressure, low blood cholesterol, and still fit easily into size 29 jeans with a major milestone birthday just 4 months away. Do you sincerely believe that I might be painting a picture of poor health?

[timkona]

Okay SFB, you know I never pull a punch. And I enjoyed your company at Christmas dinner. You are witty, and seem jovial and loving.

But you look skinny. And not necessarily healthy. If you walked into my Mom's house, she would start cooking subconciously. Not even knowing what she was going to make. But the stove and the oven would be hottin up, while she would be askin you if you feel okay. You might even get the old thermometer treatment.

My BP and Cholesterol is also low. And I am not a meat-a-tarian. But I enjoy 5 bites of steak once a month, and fish twice a week, and chicken once in a while. I also love poke, and ham, and veal, and duck. And anything served up in a puddle of pork fat. And I bet you, SFB, can make a mean salad, that I would love.

Remember, everything in moderation. Even moderation.

[Vanguard]

And I bet you, SFB, can make a mean salad, that I would love.

Yes, because all vegetarians eat salad primarily. I don't even care for salad, I only have it 1-2 times per year, when, for example, I'm on a flight and that's the airline's (and the general public's) idea of a vegetarian meal. Order Asian vegetarian if you can, then you aren't stuck with a side dish. But in SFB's case, he did say carnivores, when most non-vegetarians are actually omnivores.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

There must be more to this terribly tragic story of a vegan couple who were convicted of murdering their baby by starvation. Evidently they feed the baby boy primarily apple juice and soy milk. He weighed just 3 1/3 pounds when he died at the age of six weeks. They automatically received life sentences. Ignorance or intentional? The jury decided it was intentional. Regardless, what a horrible way for the baby to die.


I just cannot understand how this baby was not exclusively breastfed. So sad, so avoidable. :(

[lavagal]

I just cannot understand how this baby was not exclusively breastfed. So sad, so avoidable. :(

My point exactly. It was all this child needed.

[craigwatanabe]

because breastmilk is a product of an animal species. To a vegan any dairy product or anything derived from animals is considered non-vegetarian. Even Jello.

[timkona]

Gosh Craig, never thought of it like that.

WOW.........that is really crazy !!:eek:

[Miulang]

The sentence was handed down today: life in prison (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18574603/).

Miulang

[timkona]

Good. A well deserved punishment. Stupidity has a price.