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Vegan mom fed her 11-month-old only fruit and nuts. Now she is charged with child endangerment
National Post ^ | Oct. 7, 2016 | Ben Guarino

Posted on 10/07/2016 8:47:19 AM PDT by rickmichaels

She was proud to be a vegan, and wanted her son to live like she did. But her family members said she took her food choices too far – her diet became a danger, in their eyes, something closer to an obsession than a healthy lifestyle.

“She was going to live on water and sunlight,” her sister-in-law told CBS Pittsburgh.

When the 33-year-old woman from western Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Hawk, began feeding her 11-month-old child sparse meals of only fruit and nuts, however, that was beyond the pale.

The boy developed what the sister-in-law, Brandy Hawk, described as a severe rash. He seemed to have lost control of his motor skills, she said, rendering his hands useless. Elizabeth Hawk countered allergies were the reason for his apparent malaise, not the diet.

That argument did not convince Jerry Hawk, Elizabeth’s separated husband and the father of the child. He removed his son from his estranged wife’s care, taking the boy to a Children & Youth Services agency in nearby Fayette County. From there, reported Philly.com, the agency transported the child to a hospital in West Virginia.

An attending physician said the lack of nutritious food, according to Pennsylvania’s WKBN, caused a “failure to thrive.” Malnourishment had hindered the boy’s ability to develop, and ignoring the skin condition could have led to septic shock.

It is not inevitable that a vegan-only menu would doom young children to sickness or starvation, as The Washington Post wrote in July. But a commitment to veganism can make raising a healthy child more challenging, as parents must ensure that a child ingests sufficient calories and the correct balance of nutrients.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalpost.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
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1 posted on 10/07/2016 8:47:19 AM PDT by rickmichaels
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To: rickmichaels

I owned an art studio where families came to have fun. There was this one couple who came with their young child, probably two years old. The couple were Vegans, spoke about it constantly and how great it was. The poor child was so sickly looking. And she did have a rash on her face all the time which they told me was allergies. 15 years ago and I still think about it.


2 posted on 10/07/2016 8:49:41 AM PDT by Hildy
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To: rickmichaels

Is there a law that requires a parent to feed their child meat?


3 posted on 10/07/2016 8:59:13 AM PDT by Timpanagos1
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To: rickmichaels

I am surprised that the James Brown look alike in the Whitehouse did not impose it on the public schools.


4 posted on 10/07/2016 9:01:05 AM PDT by Joe Bfstplk (A Deplorable in Texas)
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To: rickmichaels

I dunno. Where do we draw the line? Are the Moms that only feed their kids Doritos, Mac-n-Cheese, Mountain Dew and NO fruits and nuts having THEIR children taken away from them?

Granted, no one wants to see children hurt due to stupidity like either of these examples, but again, where do you draw the line?

I hope THIS kid can recover some brain cells before it’s too late; babies NEED a TON of fat for good brain development.


5 posted on 10/07/2016 9:02:27 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set!)
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To: rickmichaels

Babies need fat and cholesterol, their joints and brains especially. I work with a young woman who is a third generation vegetarian. She’s a tiny little thing-cute but with horrible skin. I keep thinking that never having animal protein might have something to do with it. For as much effort as she puts into research and planning her diet you would think that at 20 she would radiate vibrant health. She doesn’t. She is stiff and pretty low energy.

The mom in this article has bought into a false idea that will cause (or has done ) irreversible brain damage to her baby.


6 posted on 10/07/2016 9:02:45 AM PDT by NorthstarMom
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To: rickmichaels
Vegan mom fed her 11-month-old only fruit and nuts.

Was this mom human, or simian?

7 posted on 10/07/2016 9:03:11 AM PDT by ETL (God PLEASE help America...Never Hillary!)
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To: Timpanagos1

it’s not a lack of “meat” per se (especially in an 11 month old) but a lack of sufficient calories (and probably milk) for a growing and developing child. That an adult would assume an adult type diet, especially a “vegan” one, would be good for a baby, is nuts. these people are mental cases. humans are omnivores.


8 posted on 10/07/2016 9:04:30 AM PDT by visualops (It's the majority of the American people and Trump against the enemies of the republic - Windflier)
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To: rickmichaels

A lot of sugar in fruit and nuts, she’s setting up her kid to get fat, and probably give them diabetes.


9 posted on 10/07/2016 9:05:18 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Timpanagos1

Probably not (and rightfully so) but there certainly are laws against child endangerment. The “diet” forced upon this child appears to have had significant adverse effects on his health.


10 posted on 10/07/2016 9:05:59 AM PDT by Bob (No, being a US Senator and the Secretary of State are not accomplishments; they're jobs.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

From what I understand, once a doctor diagnoses failure to thrive a parent can lose the child. Starving your kids of nutrition will cause them to be taken away.


11 posted on 10/07/2016 9:07:04 AM PDT by NorthstarMom
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To: rickmichaels
Vegan mom fed her 11-month-old only fruit and nuts.

If the old adage, 'you are what you eat' is true, this kid will likely end up living in San Fran when he grows up.

12 posted on 10/07/2016 9:09:26 AM PDT by ETL (God PLEASE help America...Never Hillary!)
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To: Hildy

I’ve wondered if it were stereotypical, coincidental, or merely anecdotal that every vegan I encounter looks as though they are at death’s door.

We had a keyboard player in one of my bands that relentlessly touted the vegan lifestyle. He and his wife were - and looked - sickly. All the time. I begged them once or twice to eat some damned protein!


13 posted on 10/07/2016 9:10:40 AM PDT by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
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To: Bob

How about parents who try to drive ‘demons’ out of their children, or refuse medical treatment for the kids because religious themes? Where does religious ‘liberty’ collide with child endangerment? Anti-vaccination? Should the position of society/government be that you can do/believe whatever you want, but you cannot visit it on your children?

Freedom uncoupled from responsibility seems to be where we are headed.


14 posted on 10/07/2016 9:12:20 AM PDT by sparklite2 (When they play the race card, play the Trump card.)
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To: Timpanagos1
Is there a law that requires a parent to feed their child meat?

Vegans (unlike Vegetarians)will not consume milk either because it comes from animals - God designed women to produce milk to feed and nourish their children. Proper nutrition is critical for early development.

God's Law, by His design, says that baby's need something a Vegan diet does not supply.

15 posted on 10/07/2016 9:14:43 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: rickmichaels

Back in the late 1990’s, I adopted the vegan lifestyle for 2 weeks. I became weak and was trembling within the first week. I kept losing my balance and had trouble concentrating and was unable to vocalize my thoughts clearly. I told my father and he told me to eat salmon. I got some for dinner that night and it was just like when the scarecrow was given his brain in The Wizard of Oz - my brain needed fats it was not getting from fruits and nuts.

Shame on this mother.


16 posted on 10/07/2016 9:14:47 AM PDT by Cowgirl of Justice
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To: ETL
If the old adage, 'you are what you eat' is true, this kid will likely end up living in San Fran when he grows up.

"........before you can say, 'Jack Robinson'."

17 posted on 10/07/2016 9:16:33 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: rickmichaels

Vegans are “nuts”!.


18 posted on 10/07/2016 9:18:12 AM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: rickmichaels

Couldn’t the woman at least nurse her child? That might get her the needed fats and proteins.
But maybe not. My sister tried to be a vegetarian but had to give it up when she got pregnant. She had to eat meat to lactate decently.
I am surprised a Vegan could even carry a child to term.


19 posted on 10/07/2016 9:18:36 AM PDT by Little Ray (Freedom Before Security!)
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To: Timpanagos1

I was going to say something silly like i believe it is in the US Constitution? Glad i did say that.:)


20 posted on 10/07/2016 9:18:36 AM PDT by Leep (Just say no to half dead hillary and wrong lane kaine!)
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