Balancing beliefs and babies

May 10, 2007

I thought that I would post this, not purely for the article, but for the comments from readers, which as a vegan , I found interesting... Balancing beliefs and babies05/09/2007 10:55 AM Ever been caught between your convictions and your child's best interest? A vegan couple from Atlanta was sentenced to life in prison today for the death of their malnourished 6-week-old baby boy. It seems that while trying to adhere to their vegan lifestyle, which typically involves no animal products, they restricted their baby's diet to mostly soy milk and apple juice. The tiny baby only weighed 3

1/2 pounds when he died. The part that strains credibility is the defense lawyer saying that the first-time parents did the best they could and did not realize the baby was in danger until minutes before he died. Guess the jury didn't buy it either. The couple was found guilty of malice murder, felony murder, involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children. 4 comments • Permalink Comments: Comment from: chris1349 05/09/07 @

17:16 The heading on this blog says you give us the “inside scoop inside West Valley.” You’re missing the article “the” in the heading, and that’s not the only thing this blog is missing. What correlation exists between the murdered infant and the west Valley? Perhaps as a blogger and not a journalist you have poetic license to shower your readers with poignant and profound observations on issues and people unrelated to the west Valley. If so, your promotional advertisements should reflect that.But more importantly, this blog is glaringly bereft of any point. A vegetarian couple starves their child to death and a jury finds them guilty. Okay, and? Is your intent to solicit comment from readers condemning the obvious?It’s unfortunate that in today’s “journalism” world, this type of commentary that is devoid of any purpose or meaning and infests so many newspapers today qualifies as legitimate journalism. To borrow a rhetorical

question from Simon and Garfunkel, “where have you gone Edward W. Murrow?” (BTW, “West” in your heading should not be capitalized, either.)c. marlowe Comment from: chiefthunderthud934 05/09/07 @ 18:32 "All We Are Is Dust In The Wind."-KANSAS, 1977You're correct. I am not impressed. Comment from: Doug6789 05/10/07 @ 00:31 Don't Blame Veganism for Child Neglect.This baby did not die from a vegan diet.The parents where not caught between their convictions and their child's best interest as you suggest. The couple’s

crime wasn’t that they were vegan. They were either incredibly misinformed, stupid, or both.First, one wonders why a child so young was not being breast fed. Veganism, which involves avoiding all animal products, including meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy, does not in any way preclude breast feeding. In fact, one of the arguments in favor of veganism is that the milk of cows is best suited for calves, the same way that human milk is best suited for baby humans.Second, even if the couple wanted to use a soy product instead, any pediatrician would have told them to use a soy-based formula, not soy milk. In fact, most soy milk products are clearly labeled as NOT being a substitute for baby formula.At Keep Kids Health dot com - An online pediatrician’s guide explains how vegan babies and children can easily be kept healthy on a vegan diet. And most of the advice that’s relevant - breast feed for at least a year, and take your vitamins - would be

given to vegans and carnivores alike. Peter H

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May 10, 2007

Hi Peter

I reckon the last comment says it all.

Jo

At Keep Kids Health dot com - An online pediatrician’s guide explains how vegan babies and children can easily be kept healthy on a vegan diet. And most of the advice that’s relevant - breast feed for at least a year, and take your vitamins - would be given to vegans and carnivores alike.

Peter H

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