Picture of Siena Miller
Photo taken by Kate Fricke
Picture of Siena Miller
Photo taken by Kate Fricke
By: Sailor Dennison-Kersey
September 8, 2022
In Fort Myers Florida a vegan mother finally gets convicted of murder after the death of her malnutrition son over 3 years ago. Sheila O’Leary, who made her family follow a strict vegan diet was finally convicted of six charges which include, first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter, child abuse, and two counts of child neglect in the death of her 18-month-old son, Ezra. In jail is her husband, Ryan Patrick O’Leary awaiting his trial for the same charges.
Their 18-month old son weighed 17 pounds (seven pounds below average) and was the size of a seven month old baby when he died in September 2019. An autopsy concluded he died of malnutrition complications. Although the couple claims their child ate, the police department stated that they think he had been starved the entire 18 months he’d been living. The couple also has 2 other children, ages 3 and 5, who were very malnourished as well.
This isn’t about the diet though. Many people, including children, can survive and even thrive being vegan or vegetarian if they get the right nutrition too. Siena Miller, a freshman at Palisade and also a vegetarian had this to say about the nutritional pros and cons of veganism and vegetarianism. “I became a vegetarian when I was 10. I definitely have noticed some bad things as I get really tired a lot, but I do take vitamins and stuff to help with that. The pros for me are just not eating the animals I like.”
Clearly you can’t say that this is what veganism can do. If you get the right nutrients this shouldn’t happen. Ezra O’Leary’s death is plainly the effect of abhorrent and disgusting parenting which is being mistaken for the effects of being vegan.