Abstract
In this paper I respond to Marcus William Hunt’s argument that vegan parents have pro tanto reasons for not raising their children on a vegan diet because such a diet is potentially harmful to children’s physical and social well-being. In my rebuttal, first I show that in practice all vegan diets, with the exception of wacky diets, are beneficial to children’s well-being (and adults as well); and that all animal-based diets are potentially unhealthful. Second, I show that vegan children are no more socially outcast than any other group. In other words, veganism does not harm the lives of children. Having considered several studies, I show that the moral reasons that vegan parents may have for raising their children on a vegan diet significantly outweigh the reasons for raising their children on an animal-based diet. Thus, I conclude that parents have a moral obligation to raise their children on a vegan diet.
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Acknowledgements
I want to thank my three vegan children, George, Jon, and Valentina, for sharing their perspectives on many social aspects of being vegan children.
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Alvaro, C. Veganism and Children: A Response to Marcus William Hunt. J Agric Environ Ethics 32, 647–661 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-019-09797-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-019-09797-w