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Two vegans who fed their 11-month-old daughter only mother's milk went on trial
in northern France on Tuesday charged with neglect after their baby died
suffering from vitamin deficiency.
Sergine and Joel Le Moaligou, whose vegan diet forbids consuming any animal
product including eggs and cow's milk, called the emergency services in March
2008 after becoming worried about their baby Louise's listlessness.
When the ambulance arrived at their home in Saint-Maulvis, a small village 150
kilometres (90 miles) north of Paris, the baby was already dead.
The ambulance workers called the police because the child was pale and thin,
weighing 5.7 kilos (12.5 pounds) compared to an average eight kilos for her
age.
The baby had only been fed on the milk of her mother, who was aged 37 at the
time.
An autopsy showed that Louise was suffering from a vitamin A and B12 deficiency
which experts say increases a child's sensitivity to infection and can be due
to an unbalanced diet.
"The problem of vitamin B12 deficiency could be linked to the mother's diet,"
said Anne-Laure Sandretto, deputy prosecutor in the city of Amiens where the
trial is taking place.
The couple has been charged with "neglect or food deprivation followed by
death" and face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
