The reason I am not a Jew, Muslim, or Vegetarian.
Posted on 05/12/2005 9:34:27 AM PDT by HungarianGypsy
A Scottsdale couple have been charged with child abuse after their three children, who police said were put on a type of vegan diet, were found malnourished and severely underweight.
The couple’s 3-year-old daughter weighed 12 pounds when she was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital last month after apparently having a seizure, said Scottsdale detective Sam Bailey. All three children remained hospitalized Wednesday, Bailey said.
The parents, Blair Parker, 34, and Kimu Parker, 35, were arrested April 28, and on Wednesday were each being held on $90,000 bail in a Maricopa County jail.
The Parkers were charged by a direct complaint from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, according to court records. Bill FitzGerald, spokesman for the office, said the case is expected to go before a grand jury for possible indictment.
Police said that after Blair Parker took his youngest girl to the hospital, a social worker contacted police.
At the couple’s home in the 300 block of North Miller Road, police found the two other emaciated children. The 9-year-old boy weighed 29 pounds and stood at 3 feet 4 inches tall, while the 11-year-old girl was 3 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 36.5 pounds, a police report said.
Police said the Parkers’ house was immaculate, "organized" and "free of clutter." The refrigerator was stocked with fresh vegetables, roots and mixed grains.
Both older children, who were home-schooled, were well-spoken and welleducated for their ages, though officers thought the children looked young for their ages, the report said.
Dr. Janice Piatt, a pediatrician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, later told police, "I have never seen such stunting before except maybe in Africa. It was beyond severe malnutrition."
Yet Bailey said the couple "weren’t consciously starving their kids."
He noted that the children’s mother also was thin — she weighed 115 pounds and was 5 foot 6 inches tall.
"She was extremely skinny but did not appear malnourished," the report said.
Blair Parker, who is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 200 pounds, told detectives his family was on vegan diets and don’t consume animal or dairy products.
Kimu Parker told police the family mainly eats rice, beans and vegetables. She said the two older children were small for their ages because they didn’t have "animal steroids and other products that the average person consumes."
None of the children have been vaccinated, and the family believes in holistic medicine and were in contact with a doctor in Wisconsin who would explain to them how to treat their children after diagnosing them, the report said.
The couple, who have read extensively on health issues, said the girls’ bodies don’t absorb protein and that the holistic doctor diagnosed the problem, according to the report. They supplemented the 3-year-old’s diet with a product that was supposed to help absorb the protein.
In general, vegan diets should be safe for children as long as they get the proper nutrients, two Valley nutrition specialists said.
"With regard to whether it’s appropriate for a child — there are healthy children who eat vegan all the time," said Terry Hughes of Gentle Strength Cooperative in Tempe.
Karen S. Moses, a registered dietitian at Arizona State University, said it’s possible to raise children on vegan diets successfully.
"People can be very conscientious about how they feed their children and can do a vegan diet without compromising the child’s health. It takes a lot of work. You really have to be conscientious about protein and calcium. You have to be really thinking about nutrients in a way that other people may not."
Contact Irene Hsiao by email, or phone (480)-970-2324
Liberalism is a mental illness.
We Are OMNIVORES!!!! Any Lib reading this needs to understand this FACT! Humans eat MEAT! We also eat PLANTS!
This pisses me off beyond the scale!
Great, children, pawns of human trials for the mentally disturbed.
Liberalism is a criminal mental illness. It can be prevented though, if diagnosed and treated early.
Vegans are just plan sick. They'd rather malnourish their kids than kill an animal.
Did she have a seizure because of another problem? The article doesn't state this. There are many children who are vegetarian and vegan who have no problems. That won't sell newspapers though.
You don't even have to do that. Fresh raw goat milk and cheese,etc. Some people are fanatics.
No dairy?.....
Guess the kids weren't breastfed,or they'd be healthier.
Personally, i'd plop the kids down in front of a thick juicy steak and a nice salad,and they'd be just fine.
This vegan crap is WAYYYYYYY overrated.
Just my humble opinion...
Yeah, as long as they "get the proper nutrients". That's like saying a water-only diet is proper as long as you eat.
The couple’s 3-year-old daughter weighed 12 pounds....
OH - MY - GOD.
I would never feed a steak to a young child.
Oh,hell,yes.
Yeah...Like,before birth.
Of course not.
You should cut it up first.
Wonder who they voted for in November?
Why not? If it's a nice tender cut of meat,and they have teeth,what's (pardon the pun-I can't resist) the beef?
The reason I am not a Jew, Muslim, or Vegetarian.
*lol*
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