The quick answer, before I get to the controversy, is: Yes. They can. Sure, it takes some doing, but any diet that doesn't consist of simply opening up bags and boxes and heating things in microwaves takes some doing. Most people I know who are vegans are also fairly well educated on nutrition and things, unlike the sad couple whose baby died recently from being fed only a diet of apple juice and soy milk. But I don't really consider them at all in the same league as Gayle Nelson-Folkersen, the subject of this most recent controversy.
What's going on with Gayle and her children is this: she's the mother of ten-year-old quintuplets who have been raised on a vegan diet. Gayle and husband Jeff are going their separate ways, and his court bid for custody of the kids attacks their marital lifestyle and the way the kids have been raised. Frankly, this one hits kind of close to home for me, since I went through something similar a year ago, and my stuff isn't even over yet. But that's me.
What concerns me most here is that the public's fear of veganism, fueled by lack of information and media uproar (like with the clueless and dangerous couple mentioned above) is being used as a weapon in the court system. I'm not qualified to speak about the Nelson-Folkerson's situation, which I'm sure contains far more facets than any of us are interested in knowing about, but all of a sudden you just have to utter one word, "VEGAN" and everyone becomes quiet, like it's something awful and bad for children.
And that I'm not good with.
