Vegan Couple Sentenced to Life in Prison for Starving Baby on Extreme Diet

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Vegan Couple Sentenced to Life in Prison for Starving Baby on Extreme Diet

A vegan couple in Georgia who only fed their newborn son soy milk and apple juice lost their bid to have their murder convictions overturned. In 2007, a Fulton County jury convicted Jade Sanders and Lamont Thomas of "malice murder, felony murder, and involuntary manslaughter" in the 2004 death of their six-week-old son. The infant died of bronchopneumonia due to extreme malnourishment or starvation. 

ABC News quotes Keith Ayoob, director of the Rose R. Kennedy Center Nutrition Clinic at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, as explaining that the baby's death was likely due more to "not getting enough calories or protein overall than a vegan diet."

Read the whole story at ABC News

 

Image Source: AJC

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24 Comments

ColleenMollentze ColleenMollentze
I have been in two minds about this since first hearing about it. On one hand I have great difficulty understanding how they could have failed to notice that their baby was starving. On the other hand it took me two weeks to realise that my baby wasn't gaining enough weight because she wasn't getting enough breast milk from me (I just never managed to produce much milk) and to start supplementing with formula. I don't know if there was malice. Clearly there was lack of knowledge, and it is possible that they didn't seek help because of fear of criticism of their diet - in which case I must say they made a grave and terrible error of judgement. I was vegetarian when my daughter was born and she is as healthy as can be, and if I became pregnant now I would certainly stay on my vegan diet. I did however read voraciously when I was pregnant and breastfeeding to try and get as much information as possible - I wanted to do everything right for my baby. I must say I'm relieved to see that everyone here seems to be open-minded about veganism. A properly managed vegan diet is very healthy and a baby should do fine on a good soy formula. What a horrible and preventable tragedy :(
ShannonBonafede ShannonBonafede
Tourist Vegetarians should be shot. It isn't about what you cut out of your diet but what you put in or exchange. No, generational vegetarian mother would have not breastfed. If they could not breastfed they would have found a nurse mother or used formula. We even let our children eat fish and chicken because children have different nutritional requirements then adults. What they did was wrong... all kinds of wrong. There should be a special place in the afterlife for parents who would do such a thing to a small helpless baby.
DianneSchenk DianneSchenk
This story makes me want to throw up. Why on EARTH did she not breastfeed that poor baby boy??? That's the perfect food, ideal for vegans, vegetarians, and everyone else! I don't buy the "vegan" excuse. So my next question is, why on earth would they starve their child? It's beyond my comprehension how you watch your own flesh and blood child waste away with malnutrition and starvation and not have even one grain of common sense to call the doctor, or a scintilla of parental concern and compassion to seek help for the baby, or a mama's instinct to love and provide for him? I don't get it. Is this couple really that heartless? I think they might need mental help. I'm in shock.
KathyBrundidge KathyBrundidge
It's not good to give a baby apple juice until they are much older than 6 weeks. I just read the whole story, my opinion is they starved this child, whether by neglect or just plain stupidity. They both deserve castration as well, so they can never have any more children.
AngelaBreunis AngelaBreunis
I feel it is okay to be vegan but when you decided to do so for your children, it is your responsibility to make sure your children are healthy Vegan or not! This is neglectful and irresponsible and they should be held accountable. A life sentence is hard to get for Involuntarily murder and this tells me alone this was particularly neglectful and more it was a murder conviction not neglect.
JenniferThomas35783 JenniferThomas35783
There is absolutely no excuse for this. Of course these people deserve to be convicted. How monstrous to watch your infant waste away to a very sickly 3 1/2 lbs. and keep doing what you're doing. Ignorance is NO excuse. That was cruel and horrible treatment of the most innocent of human beings. I am sickened over this....how that baby must've suffered for the entirety of its short life. These 'people' SUCK. Farggin idiotic morons.
CathyHerd CathyHerd
The baby lost 1/2 his weight. 3 1/2 pounds people...come on. The parents were ignorant, clueless, or neglectful and that is being kind. period.
SimoneSeeley SimoneSeeley
Me and my son are vegan and he is thriving and healthy. Don't judge all vegans.
TeresaTrigas TeresaTrigas
6 weeks old and you are feeding him soy milk and apple juice??? That is insane. And what about Dr Visits to check on weight gain etc..obviously these people were ignorant but at some point you say to yourself as a mother..somthing isnt right
ShanSmith ShanSmith
@Alex, are you for real?!? I sincerely hope that you are not a mother. This is so tragic. I personally do not feel that the parents intentionally killed the baby but were not properly informed about what a newborn needs to thrive and survive. Lack of education and pure ignorance seem to be the underlying problem here.
CatherineCummings95014 CatherineCummings95014
That is ridiculous! This mom didn't mean to KILL her baby! The sentence is unjust and doesn't fit the "crime".
CathyNelson CathyNelson
@ Alex. I am sure by now you are reconsidering your comments. They were clearly not doing what is best for the baby. EVERYBODY knows that breastmilk or formula is what a baby needs. When I was in nursing school years ago I had to do a placement in a grade 3 class and my project was to teach them about infant and child nutrition...even all those 8 year old kids KNEW that you feed a baby breastmilk or formula. Your comment makes about as much sense as saying that it's not their fault that the baby can't swim if someone throws them in the lake. It is their fault. I don't know why she couldn't breastfeed. I understand there actually are some people who just can't do it for various reasons, but it is their responsibility as a parent to make sure that the child is thriving and if not to seek medical attention. Everybody knows that babies are not supposed to be skinny! However, having said that, I am sure this was not a malicious act and not sure how they could be convicted of both "involuntary manslaughter" and malice/felony murder if it was unintentional. I do believe that a vegan diet is healthy for adults and would live that way if I could just give up the darn cheese ;)
AmberDraffin AmberDraffin
You don't pay in Australia either, only if you choose to go to a private hospital. It's completely free regardless of complications!!!
ElenaMorsanutto ElenaMorsanutto
...some people ARE JUST NOT MEANT to be parents! That poor baby!!!! I hope the parents rot in hell!
KaylynKnopp KaylynKnopp
This is very scary because it makes a vegan diet seem unhealthy which it is not. BUT feeding the baby soy milk and apple juice is NOT sufficient for a newborn babies diet. INSANE!
SwatiHemantShirodkar SwatiHemantShirodkar
Rubbish… hell with the thought of this vegan diet to an infant.....the mother(heartless) could have breastfed the baby and if she could not, formulas are available in market. Soy milk/apple juice is not a substitute. If they were not aware(?????) what to feed the baby they could have taken any Nurse or Doctors advise. Dint they figure out that the baby is loosing weight. Pure “Negligence“ “Carelessness” by the parents.
TinaPoulton TinaPoulton
look at the evidence if it was a healthy diet the baby wouldn't have died it's not like you wouldn't notice your baby starving losing weight and more than likely jaundice.
AlexGabriel AlexGabriel
I dispute that.
CandaceSpears26284 CandaceSpears26284
Alex Gabriel, are you kidding me???? i believe that vegan eating is a healthy way as welll.... but it was a NEWBORN. Newborns either need formula, or breast milk. they couldnt rely on really nothing. Would a newborn survive on skim milk?????????????? NO! so these parents were either completely not educated on newborns, or they just thought that it would be okay for them to give there baby soy milk!!!! that is the part that is sad! The poor baby would got to starve for 6 weeks of its life! and then to die!
AlexGabriel AlexGabriel
What?! That's ridiculous. A vegan diet is very healthy. It's not their fault their baby couldn't cope. A life sentence is ridiculous; they were just doing the best for their baby.
DawnBidwell92572 DawnBidwell92572
How horrible. The poor baby.
LessySue LessySue
This is such a tragedy!
MarilynJCook MarilynJCook
Should of been encouraged to breastfeed then baby would of got all the nutirents needed.. But when going onto solids would of needed decent nutritious infant food!!!!!!!! Poor little soul!!!
KerryMears17316 KerryMears17316
were they seriously expecting there life sentence to be overturned? im in shock just reading this story
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