Parental rights gone awry

Not so much parental rights, more like parental stupidity

from JoeUser Forums

I'm not going to write a lot on the subject here because the whole thing just sickens me, but this article: Vegan couple sentenced to life over baby's death Malnourished baby was fed soy milk and apple juice, weighed 3 1/2 pounds is a fine example of what some people's perceptions of parental rights can lead to.

See this:

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 prosecutors said the couple intentionally neglected their child and refused to take him to the doctor even as the baby’s body wasted away.

Such is the type of madness that leads to my outrage and my support of actions that the state may take at times to help prevent this type of child abuse and child endangerment.

Given that the parents applied their own screwed up beliefs despite existing requirements from society and the state and the results were the death of a child, do I really need to go further to show why there are times when someone has to step up and look out for innocent?

1,470 views 11 replies
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
WTF were they doing giving him soy milk and APPLE JUICE!?!?!

Breastmilk is ALL that baby needed. WTF.

That is really sad.

(FYI: My baby is just over 5 months old, and has NOTHING but breast milk; no juice, no baby food, nothing. She is a HOSS.)

Sounds like these crunchy dumbasses knew NOTHING about babies. This is just sickening.

Vegan mommies breastfeed. They don't give their babies soy milk and apple juice.

SICK.
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm not seeing how parental rights figures into this at all. No one seems to be arguing that the parents had the right to do this to the child, and the couple did get a life sentence, so it seems that there isn't really any issue of parental rights here. It's just a shame that this wasn't caught before the child died.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
I guess they were against breastfeeding because it's an animal byproduct and you know, that's WRONG.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
cacto: I can understand that, although I don't know why it would apply to humans as the mom is not being exploited or harmed or whatever through BFing.

According to the vegan society, babies should be exclusively BF for 4-6 months, and then begin introducing vegan solids (like bananas and other things other babies eat, actually). 1st year of life really shouldn't be much different for a vegan baby. Anything beyond breast milk at under 1 year is more for practice than nutrition anyways.

The dietary concerns are primarily directed at the BFing vegan mom, not her baby.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Oh, found this on the Vegan Society's website:

"If breast feeding is not possible or is contraindicated, there is just one formula feed suitable for vegan infants: Vegan Society trade mark holder Farley's Soya Formula by Heinz. On no account should soya milk, nut milk, rice milk, oat milk, pea milk or other home-prepared "formulas" be used as these do not contain the appropriate ratio of nutrients and can lead to potentially life-threatening conditions."
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top

I'm not seeing how parental rights figures into this at all. No one seems to be arguing that the parents had the right to do this to the child, and the couple did get a life sentence, so it seems that there isn't really any issue of parental rights here. It's just a shame that this wasn't caught before the child died.

There are some individuals that would argue pretty vociferously that these parents had a right to raise that child any way they see fit, and feed it any way they see fit, even if it meant that the child would literally be starved to death.  After all, in some people's view society has no business interfering with the way that children are raised.

Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
Oh, found this on the Vegan Society's website


Do you really think these fools actually read things like that?

people like that are not even fit to care for themselves let alone a baby.
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
I guess they were against breastfeeding because it's an animal byproduct and you know, that's WRONG.


Interesting point. Now I am wondering about that as well.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
Far more women are able to breastfeed than most people realize. If not, our species would not have survived.

Nowadays many women "can't" breastfeed because it is sometimes difficult. If the choice was breastfeed or your baby starves, women sure as hell would be able to breastfeed.

Breastfeeding is NOT anti-vegan. I researched it. Vegans STRONGLY encourage breastfeeding.

However, if the mom is unable (tiny, tiny, tiny percentage) or doesn't want to breastfeed, or if she is on medications that are not compatible with breastfeeding (typically there is an option for a BF safe med; very few conditions make BF impossible), there is one Vegan infant formula available. There are many others that are mostly Vegan.

It's NOT popular belief that all women are capable of breastfeeding. Unfortunately, it's the opposite. And the overwhelming majority of women can breastfeed. Look at breastfeeding rates in other countries.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm not seeing how parental rights figures into this at all. No one seems to be arguing that the parents had the right to do this to the child, and the couple did get a life sentence, so it seems that there isn't really any issue of parental rights here. It's just a shame that this wasn't caught before the child died.


I agree.