http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6461081&nav=menu36_3 ATLANTA--(AP) A Superior Court jury in Atlanta convicted a vegan (VEE-gun) couple of murder and cruelty to children today in the death of their six-week old, who was fed a diet largely consisting of soy milk and apple juice. Twenty-seven-year-old Jade Sanders and 31-year-old and Lamont Thomas will receive automatic life sentences for starving the boy, who weighed just three-and-a-half pounds when he died.Defense lawyers said the first-time parents did the best they could while adhering to the lifestyle of vegans, who typically use no animal products. They said Sanders and Thomas did not realize the baby, who was born at home, was in danger until minutes before he died.But prosecutor Mike Carlson told the jury yesterday during closing arguments that they are "baby killers."The jury deliberated about seven hours before returning the guilty verdicts. You see stories like this every few years, and this is why docs get bent out of shape from the V-word. soy and apple juice at six weeks? did she misplace her breasts? not find soy formula?
oh i heard about that. i dont know enough to judge nor really have the place to but why couldnt they just go to a nurtrionists?
It's always the minorities - well usually is in the u.k a black guy kills a man - big front page news, a white guy kills a man- barely even a mention, same goes with vegetarian/vegan =/ Poor kids just had incredibly bad parents =/ But alas another hit to veggies
Wow, I haven't really read up on the case myself. But from your explanation, it seems more like ignorance than cruelty. That doesn't make them any less liable; when you have a child one of the ways you should prepare is by doing all the necessary research into nutrition you can beforehand. It just makes it worse that they were vegan, most veg*n's pride themselves on being very concious of their dietary needs. But with the way they fed that baby, I'm betting the parents are malnourished themselves. And, yes, did she try to breastfeed first? If she really couldn't then there are still more nutritious alternatives to breast milk, definitely better for baby than soy milk and apple juice. But breast milk itself isn't anti-vegan, so I don't see the problem if she could. It's just annoying because, as drumminmama said, this makes it bad for vegans. It makes them seem fanatical.
Yeah...I think people have to also remember that they are first time parents... and first time parents don't always know what they're doing. I'm sure they prob. also didn't know that breast milk was ok. I'm not saying that they are entirely right or anything...I'm just saying that I will see a bit from that point of view as well. Its sad where people will probably think all Vegans are crazy now...which is not the case. Mmm...perhaps I just think that the sentence was a bit harsh... b/c it wasn't like they were trying to kill the baby or anything...
(sigh) Some people, huh? Who knows what they were thinking - I agree though. Everywhere I look, I see soy formula. Gosh, my baby sister used it when my mom went through surgery & couldn't nurse for a month! That's... (counting) 27 years ago that soy was available. And yeah, did she have problems breastfeeding? This makes me SO grateful that we were able to find a veggie-savvy pediatrician for my kids. When I finally got up the nerve to discuss my daughter's wanting to be vegetarian with her, she was GLAD! She sat down with DD & me and went over diet choices & gave us TONS of helpful book titles, websites & a packet of about 25 pages of protein/iron rich foods! love, mom
i was a soy baby in the late 60s so I know it is there, and probably more of it (I was adopted). first time parents? come on, NO doc in the world would support what they were doing. OTOH, a couple was in court yesterday for a child's failure to thrive in Aurora , co. Seven years old and 30 lbs. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5854892
I too was a soy baby because milk did not work in my baby tummy. I reached all of my developmental stages normally. Exactly, another attack on veggies/vegans due to incapable parents. I tell people that I will raise my children as vegetarians and when they become old enough to make their own choices, then they can eat meat, but they will either have to cook it themselves or get someone else to do it! I get so many people bashing me about this. They say that my children will be undernurished...lol grrr at uneducated people!
3.5 lbs for the 6-month old metioned in the article, and the parents didn't know he was ill until a moment before his death? Ignorance and neglect play a larger part in his death than veganism. It is disgusting.
^^Six WEEK old. And FWIW, soy MILK is not at all the same thing as soy FORMULA. I'm curious about a lot ofthings I haven't seen or heard in any of the media's coverage of this case. 1. Did she even atempt to breastfeed? 2. Everything is saying that they refused to take him to a doctor, but I'm curious - did they have any form of insurance at all? 3. Unless this was a completely unassisted homebirth (which I somehow doubt - THAT would have been mentioned), she must have had some kind of prenatal care, as well as care in the hospital or birthing center. While I do agree that it is a parent-to-be's job to educate and research on nutritional and health issues, it is also her care provider's job to recognize that ignorance and work to help it, by providing resources and literature and, at the very least, referring the parents to an organization that WILL help and educate them. I agree that what they did was ultimately VERY VERY stupid. I'm sure they are sorry, and more so every day they wake up without their little boy. But I wish someone would recognize the other side of this issue, and the other guilty party - the healthcare system that leaves poor, inner-city, minority families behind.
I also think this was more about neglect and just plain ignorance than it is about being vegan. Many first time parents just don't know how to care for their child and won't ask for help. Fortunately, for the most part the kids survive. Sounds like this little guy didn't have much of a chance. There are some vegans who believe that breast milk is not vegan. Wasn't there a thread on here about that a while back? Since breast milk comes from a human animal it is considered an animal product and therefore not vegan. I don't agree with this but I know it's out there. There was a case in New York a couple of years ago where the parents were only feeding the child crushed almonds. He died at about 6 weeks as well. Cases like this are very sad and give all of us a bad name. Kathi
Only the stupid people will put the vegan part together (thanks to the wonderful press) but alas there is many stupid people..
when anyone else is neglectful of their child it is not considered a reflection of those who eat meat... sub-cultures don't even exist, people need to stop fuckign judging us based on the action of one person who holds similair lifestyle choices.
