© Sarah Anne Markham
A Casselberry mother was arrested on allegations of refusing to take her newborn, diagnosed by a doctor as dehydrated, to a hospital because of her staunch vegan stance.
Sarah Anne Markham was arrested Tuesday on a charge of child neglect.
According to Casselberry police, a pediatrician told Markham that her baby needed to be admitted to Florida Hospital South for treatment because the child was dehydrated and was losing weight.
Markham, however, went home and would not answer when officers knocked at her door.
Police used a locksmith to enter the apartment and interviewed Markham, who said she wanted to get a second opinion about her child, according to a police report.
Police said Markham told them that she wanted to pursue a religious-based treatment and did not believe that her baby was dehydrated because the child was having bowel movements.
Markham said she had contacted a "natural" or "vegan" doctor but was unable to provide any information about him, other than a name.
Markham said she did not give the formula/medicine that the doctor provided because she did not agree with the ingredients, which she said came from animals, the police report stated.
Markham said she purchased organic soy formula, and when asked if she confirmed with a doctor if it was safe for a newborn, she said that if Whole Foods Market sells it then the formula doesn't contain any animal parts and, therefore, must be safe, according to police.
She then said she would take the child to Florida Hospital South but only because she was being forced to, according to authorities. About an hour later, however, she was still at home and was placed under arrest.
While en route to jail, according to police, Markham had a carefree attitude, even though she was told that she was not going to be allowed to see her child until a court hearing.
The baby was taken to Florida Hospital South for treatment and was placed into state custody.
Markham later bonded out of jail.
Comment: It is unfortunate that veganism and vegetarianism have been promoted endlessly in the media as being healthy. Vegan diets, in particular, are almost completely devoid of certain nutrients that are crucial for physiological function. Several studies have shown that both vegetarians and vegans are prone to deficiencies in B12, calcium, iron, zinc, the long-chain fatty acids EPA & DHA, and fat-soluble vitamins like A & D. Children are particularly vulnerable to these diets due to the effects of B12 deficiency. Studies have shown that kids raised until age 6 on a vegan diet are still B12 deficient years after adding at least some animal products to their diet. Researchers have found a significant association between B12 status and performance on tests measuring fluid intelligence, spatial ability and short-term memory with formerly vegan kids scoring lower than omnivorous kids in each case.
The deficit in fluid intelligence is particularly troubling, because it involves reasoning, the capacity to solve complex problems, abstract thinking ability and the ability to learn. Any defect in this area may have far-reaching consequences for individual functioning. A common myth amongst vegetarians and vegans is that it's possible to get B12 from plant sources. But plant foods said to contain B12 actually contain B12 analogs called cobamides that block the intake of, and increase the need for, true B12.
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