RTWed, 10 Aug 2016 07:45 UTC
An Italian baby raised on a vegan diet was hospitalized for 'malnutrition' in July 2016
An Italian official is calling for new laws that would punish parents who put their children on vegan diets, or force "reckless and dangerous eating behavour" on them with a sentence of up to six years in prison, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported.
The legislation would "stigmatize the reckless and dangerous eating behaviours imposed by parents... to the detriment of minors," the outlet quoted Elvira Savino, a deputy of the center-right Forza Italia party, as saying.
Although the law would
primarily target vegan diets in situations when parents f
orce children under the age of 16 to forgo meat, eggs, dairy, and animal products, any diet "lacking in essential elements for growth" would also be subject to it.In the introduction to the bill, Savino warned that the view of a vegan diet "resulting in significant health benefits" was becoming more widely accepted in Italy.
The suggested base penalty for parents is one year, but it
could be longer if the child is under three years old. In addition, if a child becomes ill due to the diet, the sentence could be lengthened to 2.5 - 4 years, and if the diet results in a child's death, parents could be put behind bars for up to six years.
Savino emphasized that "inadequate" diets can leave children with deficits of iron, zinc, B12, omega-3, and other vitamins.
"There is
no objection if the person making this choice is an informed adult. A problem arises when children are involved," she said, La Repubblica reported.
However, the president of the Italian Society of Food Science responded to Savino, telling La Repubblica that a diet containing excessive sugar and fat could do much more harm than vegan diets.
Calls for the anti-Vegan law came after s
everal high-profile cases of children suffering from severe malnutrition as a result of veganism emerged in Italy.Last month, a one-year-old boy weighing 5 kilograms with blood calcium levels barely sufficient to survive was removed from his parents in Milan.
In June, a two-year-old toddler was hospitalized in Genoa and had to be
treated for vitamin deficiency as the result of a vegan diet.
Comment: Why you should think twice about vegetarian and vegan diets:Vegetarian and vegan diets are particularly dangerous for children. 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. The effects of
B12 deficiency on kids are especially alarming as it can lead to long-term neurological disorders in infants and toddlers fed vegetarian diets, as well as impaired cognitive performance, spatial ability and short-term memory.
That said, allowing the state to determine how parents raise their children could set a dangerous precedent having unintended consequences.
Comment: Why you should think twice about vegetarian and vegan diets:
Vegetarian and vegan diets are particularly dangerous for children. 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. The effects of B12 deficiency on kids are especially alarming as it can lead to long-term neurological disorders in infants and toddlers fed vegetarian diets, as well as impaired cognitive performance, spatial ability and short-term memory.
That said, allowing the state to determine how parents raise their children could set a dangerous precedent having unintended consequences.