Vegan Assault

[nbcrusader]

Assault Verdict Upheld Against Vegans in Near-Starvation of Daughter

An appeals court in Brooklyn has affirmed the first-degree assault conviction of two vegan parents who were accused of nearly starving their daughter to death.

One member of the four-judge panel of the Appellate Division, 2nd Department, however, cast doubt on whether the parents were aware of the risks that a vegan diet posed to a baby. The judge, Justice Sondra Miller, said the assault conviction should be vacated.

"The defendants may have been naïve, and misguided, and even unfit to serve as the custodians of their child," Miller wrote in People v. Swinton, 2003-04653. "What they did not do, however, is evince criminal recklessness."

Interesting criminal implications for lifestyle choices...

 

[Irvine511]

[BInteresting criminal implications for lifestyle choices... [/B]

yes, well, a child was, evidently, harmed.

also, i'm fairly certain there are many more vegan parents out there who have raised happy, healthy babies.

perhaps these people are merely idiots?

 

[BVS]

I wonder if they'll start bringing assault charges on parents who overfeed their babies and have 117lb 3 year olds and kids with diabetes by age 10?

 

[nbcrusader]

I wonder if they'll start bringing assault charges on parents who overfeed their babies and have 117lb 3 year olds and kids with diabetes by age 10?

Another good implication raised by this case.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Re: Re: Vegan Assault

perhaps these people are merely idiots?

Uh, yeah.

"Mr. Swinton was given a more lenient sentence due to his reduced mental capacity. "

 

[the iron horse]

What Vegan Assault?

From the article posted:

"Ms. Swinton gave birth to a baby girl, Ice Swinton, in July 2000. Mistrustful of doctors and modern medicine, she gave birth at home, assisted only by Mr. Swinton. Ice weighed three pounds at birth.

Over the next 16 months, the Swintons fed their daughter nothing more than nuts and fruit. In November 2001, Ice weighed 10 pounds when she should have weighed about 25. She had no teeth, underdeveloped and soft bones, and could not lift her own head."


There is the assault.

Committted by parents who have been brainwashed into believing that if you take a gas-powered chainsaw and cut a tree or eat meat...this world will end.

How did we get to this nonsense?

They almost killed a human being.

Do you care about that?

 

[Irvine511]

Committted by parents who have been brainwashed into believing that if you take a gas-powered chainsaw and cut a tree or eat meat...this world will end.

i take your example, but is the above really necessary? it's such a distortion of people who actually do care about the environment and actually do live healthy lives as vegetarians or vegans that it almost renders the rest of the post meaningless.

again, i agree, but i just don't see what the above pot shot has to do with it.

 

[BVS]

Committted by parents who have been brainwashed into believing that if you take a gas-powered chainsaw and cut a tree ....this world will end.

What does cutting down a tree have to do with it? Nice generalization.

Mistrustful of doctors and modern medicine

Who else does this remind me of?

 

[Catlady]

Since this baby was born at only three pounds I would venture to guess more was wrong with her than can be accounted for by a vegan diet....

 

[nbcrusader]

Like the vegan diet of the parents?

 

[joyfulgirl]

They almost killed a human being.

Do you care about that?

To whom is this directed? I think we all find the story sad.

 

[the iron horse]

Irvine511,

"i take your example, but is the above really necessary? it's such a distortion of people who actually do care about the environment and actually do live healthy lives as vegetarians or vegans that it almost renders the rest of the post meaningless.

again, i agree, but i just don't see what the above pot shot has to do with it."


My post was about the child. It was about the kid.

That child almost died because the parents were so deep into their crap of saving the earth and being so vegan cool.

Babies need food...they need fat for brain development..

..do a Google search...

My example was not a distortion.

I live on a farm. We grow our vegetables and at times, we slaughter animals or hunt/fish.

We eat meat(if at all) only on Saturdays and Sundays.

So, I guess we are veggie most days.


I agree with you that we should all treat the
environment with repect and try to live healthy lives.

I'm just upset that we ignore the life and well-being of a young human being and get all in a twit and make this into some assault on people who choose to be vegan.

 

[yolland]

From the New York Post:

Swinton also revealed he would not let his wife breast-feed his child because she was not "pure enough."

It's disingenuous in the extreme to equate "veganism" with this kind of pathologically superstitious nonsense.

 

[BVS]

I'm just upset that we ignore the life and well-being of a young human being and get all in a twit and make this into some assault on people who choose to be vegan.

I think everyone's upset about the child's life. No one here has put Vegan life in front of the child's.

But for someone who talks so much about Big Brother, this should bother you. Because where will it stop? Assault charges on those that feed the child too much, those that bought a faulty crib and the child was injured in an accident.

I think the big problem here is that we have a couple who were educated in proper diet, it's very difficult for vegan's to have children but it is possible. Just like it's difficult for vegeterians, diabetics, and others.

Let's stress education and not assault charges.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I'm just upset that we ignore the life and well-being of a young human being and get all in a twit and make this into some assault on people who choose to be vegan.

We are all saddened by this story, and we all understand the importance of diet for a baby. I appreciate where you're coming from but your anger is misdirected in this thread. You seem to be angry at us for something but we're all basically in agreement here.

 

[the iron horse]

joyfulgirl,

"You seem to be angry at us for something but we're all basically in agreement here."

Where did I say I was angry with members of this forum?

What are we suppose to be in agreement with?

Opposing the mis-treatment of another human being

or making sure the milk we drink contains no fat?


I'm just trying to understand what you mean.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I'm just trying to understand what you mean.

Likewise. You say "I'm just upset that we ignore the life and well-being of a young human being and get all in a twit and make this into some assault on people who choose to be vegan" and I'm wondering who "we" refers to. I don't see that anyone here is making this story into an assault on people who choose to be vegan. When you said earlier "Do you care about that" I was also wondering if you meant us in this thread. I meant that we are all in agreement that this is a sad story but that you seemed to want something more from us--stronger outrage at the parents or bad vegans or something, I don't know what. Perhaps I've just misunderstood.

 

[Sue DeNym]

From the New York Post:

"Swinton also revealed he would not let his wife breast-feed his child because she was not "pure enough.""

It's disingenuous in the extreme to equate "veganism" with this kind of pathologically superstitious nonsense.

Agreed. This isn't about veganism; this is about people who are too bloody stupid and incompetent to be parents!

I'm just glad the child is okay now, and with more sensible relatives.