did anyone hear about the two vegetarian parents that had a kid and they made him be a vegetarian and he died?

Question

and now they are both in jail because the kid died since the parents didn't "feed him right"

it's not right for them to go to jail, they were just not educated enough, it is their belief and it's not just right

Answer 1

Here is a great news article on the subject.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/240051/vegan_couple_gets_life_in_prison_over.html

I am speechless after reading this!

Answer 2

I've never ever heard this. The only example I can think was of fruitarian parents having a child die as all they were feeding her was "oranges" or something like that! I don't think there is a single sane couple in this world who would only feed their children oranges.

Anyone can die from manutrition. A kid on a meat diet could die from malnutrition. Balanced diet is the key, regardless of the diet. A vegetarian balanced diet kicks the *** of an omnivorous balanced diet. A vegan balanced diet kicks the *** of a vegetarian balanced diet, a raw vegan balanced diet kicks the *** of a normal vegan balanced diet.

If this story is true, then you have to understand that the kid didn't die because he was a vegetarian. He died because he didn't have a balanced diet and bad parents who should have been looking at their son's health and working out what he was lacking in his diet.

If vegetarianism and veganism killed kids, then I wouldn't be here now and neither would a lot of my friends.

This subject isn't about vegetarianism being dangerous, this is about bad parenting. I'm sure the meat marketing board appreciates this kind of bad press being passed around though, given that they're pooping their pants over the PROOF that red meat is hazardous to human health, and that factory farmed animals (including non red meat) are diseased and bloated with hormones. Oh, and there's the environmental issue too, that meat isn't sustainable.

Answer 3

Actually it is right, a child needs nourishment. Those parents were idiots, obviously you should not feed your child to obesity. But there are certain things that a child's body requires in order to grow healthy. When you are an adult you don't need as much, and you can afford to cut back, but a child needs the proteins, vitamins and calcium that come from certain foods. Its not always wise to fill up on vitamin pills and exclude vital nutritional foods that are necessary for a child's growth. If they did not know or were not sure, they could of just taken a class. Say what you want, feeding your child the right way is more important than your belief or anything else. Especially now a days, when illness is just around the corner.

Answer 4

With respect, I do believe they deserved to go to prison, although life sentences seem excessive.

Keep in mind that:

1. The mother did not breastfeed. Sorry, but we are mammals, and mammal mothers feed their young by breast milk. If they did not want to go that route, there are artificial formulas they could have used.

2. They did not consult anyone. A Pediatrician would have helped with feeding the baby under vegan guidelines, at least would have told them not to feed the baby apple juice yet. A doctor would have been able to tell them that the baby was become malnourished.

This should not become a matter of persecuted vegan, it is a matter of good parenting. Loving a baby is not enough, you have to do the right things as well. They did not and are paying a steep (and remember, I think life is too harsh) price.

Answer 5

Actually it was vegan parents of an infant that tried to feed the baby on a nutball vegan diet that included denying the child mother's milk. The baby was emaciated and only weighed three and a half pounds at the time of it's death. Doctors said the baby was so emaciated that you could count its bones through its skin.

The couple lived in Atlanta and were both sentenced to life in prison for causing their baby's death due to their misguided notion that a baby should be forced to follow the nutball vegan diet they fed it.

Doctors from the Canadian Medical Association commenting on the case said that a vegan diet is not a healthy thing for the health and development of infants and growing children.

People considering the lunacy of vegan diets for their children need to heed what those doctors say.

Answer 6

The issue here is not about diet, it is about bad parenting. These people were uninformed, and a little (ok, maybe a lot) stupid. While a child can be raised Vegetarian, even Vegan, these people were just doing it wrong. For example, I was born to a vegetarian family. My mother didn't touch one bite of animal products during either of her pregnacies, and both my brother and myself were, big, healthy babies. And like most 'natural' people, my mother never fed us baby formula, only breastmilk, then fruits and veggies, and I am now one of the healthiest adults I know. I have never even been sick enough to go to the hospital. Don't let these parents who obviously did not know how to care for their child affect how you see the rest of the vegetarian/vegan community.

Answer 7

Some things can't be compromised and parents should know that when it comes to the care of their children. If the doctors says the baby needs more iron the parents need ot find some way of getting it into their child. If he doesn't like tofu or soy he has that right and the parents need to figure something out.

Answer 8

They were vegan, and their baby died of starvation/malnutrition. It's totally right that they're in jail. A baby obviously can't survive on just soy milk and fruit juice. I mean seriously, use your head once in a while. Sure, it's your right to be a vegan, but you still need to make sure your kids get the right nutrition. Let your children decide for themselve if they want to be vegan when they're old enough to make that decision. After all, I think the child has a right to be taken care of properly, no? I say let those idiots rot in prison forever, and sterilize them while they're they so they can't have any more kids.

Answer 9

The best food for *all* babies (assuming no weird allergies) is breastmilk, or if that can't be done, formula. The baby died because the parents were not feeding it enough breastmilk or formula, which has nothing to do with whether they are vegan or not. Besides, the recommended plan for babies younger than 10 months is breastmilk or soy formula, then baby rice cereal mush, then pureed fruits and vegetables. So the average infant's diet would technically be vegan, anyway.

Answer 10

It IS right for them to go to jail. Neglecting the health and welfare of their child is proof. Did they not take the infant to the doctor ever? The doctor would've seen the malnutrition in progress. I hope these two stay in jail a LONG time.

Answer 11

Parents have an obligation to have a minimum level of competence in raising children. To let a child die of malnutrition is unforgivable and they should be jailed.