Vegetarians Face Child Abuse Charge
By Stephanie Gaskell, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK -- A couple who put their baby daughter on a strict vegetarian diet were
charged with child endangerment after authorities found the girl last year weighing only
half her normal weight, prosecutors said. Joseph and Silva Swinton, both 31, were
charged with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child. Both
pleaded innocent Friday. Prosecutors said the baby was fed ground nuts, fresh-squeezed
juices, herbal tea, beans, cod liver oil and flax seed oil. She was not breast-fed or given
infant formulas. Authorities were alerted to the situation by an anonymous call in
November, said Maris Campbell, a spokeswoman for the district attorney. She said the
baby was "in grave risk of death."
"She weighed only 10 pounds, less than half the weight of an average 16-month-old
female child, and appeared to be the size of a 2- to 3-month-old baby," District Attorney
Richard Brown said Monday. But Warren Silverman, a lawyer representing the mother,
said the parents "felt that they have their own lifestyle, they're vegetarians, and they felt
that they were providing proper care for their child." The child has been in foster care
since November.
The girl is now 20 months old and doctors said she now weighs 20 pounds, still about the
normal weight of a 10- to 12-month old baby. Campbell said the girl faces major
developmental problems.
I find this pretty interesting. What do you think? Should the parents be charged with anything?
By Stephanie Gaskell, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK -- A couple who put their baby daughter on a strict vegetarian diet were
charged with child endangerment after authorities found the girl last year weighing only
half her normal weight, prosecutors said. Joseph and Silva Swinton, both 31, were
charged with reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child. Both
pleaded innocent Friday. Prosecutors said the baby was fed ground nuts, fresh-squeezed
juices, herbal tea, beans, cod liver oil and flax seed oil. She was not breast-fed or given
infant formulas. Authorities were alerted to the situation by an anonymous call in
November, said Maris Campbell, a spokeswoman for the district attorney. She said the
baby was "in grave risk of death."
"She weighed only 10 pounds, less than half the weight of an average 16-month-old
female child, and appeared to be the size of a 2- to 3-month-old baby," District Attorney
Richard Brown said Monday. But Warren Silverman, a lawyer representing the mother,
said the parents "felt that they have their own lifestyle, they're vegetarians, and they felt
that they were providing proper care for their child." The child has been in foster care
since November.
The girl is now 20 months old and doctors said she now weighs 20 pounds, still about the
normal weight of a 10- to 12-month old baby. Campbell said the girl faces major
developmental problems.
I find this pretty interesting. What do you think? Should the parents be charged with anything?