Today the Georgian vegan couple whose 6-week old baby son died of malnourishment was sentenced to life in prison. The jury had found the couple guilty of child cruelty and murder, agreeing with prosecutors who argued the starving was intentional. “They’re not vegans. They’re baby killers”, a closing statement that caused sensational headlines around the world: “Vegans or Baby Killers?”
Good question. As shown in the Venn diagram below, I believe the couple is a rare intersection between the two sets. I have defined this set as “Stupid Vegan Baby Killers” and qualified it as follows:
Baby Killers: The baby was fed a diet of soy milk and apple juice, and was never taken to a doctor. Obviously, this is foolhardy baby-rearing.
Vegan: In their defense, the couple claimed they were “against animal cruelty… against animals being burdened” and wanted to raise their baby in accordance with their beliefs. Many fervent vegans devoutly believe their diet is the healthiest, most pure on Earth, so it is entirely plausible that they were deluded enough to think that their 3 1/2 pound baby was perfectly healthy.
Stupid: Unfortunately, the couple should have learned a *little* more about veganism before trying to apply it to a helpless baby. A quick consultation with a vegan friend confirmed that the vegan doctrine does not prohibit breast milk for babies. In fact, most vegans are strong advocates of breast-feeding, believing that dairy is not a “natural” part of the human diet only after a child is weened.
Certainly “baby killers” deserve life in prison. But what about “stupid vegan baby killers”? Haven’t they suffered enough, what with their dead baby and their cheese-free lifestyle?
