Couple kept infant daughter on strict vegan diet, she became so malnourished that even 'normal handling' fractured her bones
An Australian couple who kept their infant daughter on a strict vegan diet, thus denying her the necessary nutrition for a healthy upbringing which resulted in her being heavily underdeveloped, has pleaded guilty to failing to provide for a child and causing serious injury.
According to the Daily Mail, the 32-year-old mother and the 34-year-old father, whose names have not been revealed for legal reasons, had their daughter on such a poor diet that she developed Rickets, a degenerative disease that softens and weakens bones in children caused by lack of vitamin D.
The 19-month-old girl's plight came to light when the parents took her to a hospital this past March after she suffered a seizure. It was found that she had "undetectable" levels of vitamin D in her body, which had resulted in the infant having fractures throughout her body. Doctors believed her bones were so brittle that they could have been broken by "normal handling."