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
115 lb for 5'6" is far from ideal. I am 5'6 and when I was in college I dieted down to that weight. I looked awful. At the time I didn't realize it - I was having some serious personal problems and was dieting compulsively to distract myself from them. But now when I look at some of the photos of me from that time, I just cringe.
My sibs are vegan for multiple reasons.
As for B12, there are numerous fortified foods now on the market for vegetarians/vegans (soy milk, meat analogs, cereals, etc) so B12 shouldn't be an issue IF the person is aware of getting the fortified foods in their diet.
Vegetarians do better than vegans because they get their B12 via diary and eggs.
Mine is peachless due to the temperature swings this winter.
I'm on a lean meat - low carb regime myself, but I have spasms that hurt like a heart attack if I don't watch it (mostly triggered by stress (namely one beloved but bewildered 16 year old who is starting to improve), and that can cause blockages leading to pancreatitis. NO fun.
So I am very careful.
Since I started being careful about carbs and portion size, things have greatly improved, though.
I take a liquid B12 supplement myself.
He had childhood diabetes, and yes it eventually killed his kidneys and his eyes. Also, his whole family is affected by cardiomyopia (sp?), a congenital congestive heart disease. He sufferred a ruptured aorta during a stent operation and died on the OR table.
He had a lot of medical strikes against him, and he just was a walking miracle to his family and friends. I Still miss the big fella. *Just D*mn*
my goodness :(
It's been several years but, yes, though it might have been a bit tounge-in-cheek or provocative, I think they really believed that. I went to some web site and there was serious discussion of the rights of the grass to reproduce!
I've met a few people that just don't like meat and never have. I almost wonder if it is because their bodies know that they don't tolerate it well.
I'm a big proponent of homeschooling, so I was hoping you weren't bashing. Whew.
Yeah it's bad. We moved to Summit County OH last year from ultra-liberal NJ, so in comparison it didn't seem so bad at first, and being our local-ish paper and seemingly better than the Communist - I mean - Cleveland Plain-Dealer, we decided to get it on the weekends.
As homeschooling parents, we were less than thrilled by that series, needless to say!
Sorry for the confusion. :) We homeschool and article mentions like that tend to jump out at me.
See post #206.
How do you like the Akron area compared to NJ??
The Canton Repository is a more conservative paper (relatively) than the BJ or PD.
Although the Plain Dealer endorsed W in 2000.
Where in Summit County??
Did anyone else notice the father seems to have an appropriate weight while everyone else in the family is grossly underweight (and 5'6" 115 is too thin unless you're Ann Coulter). I have to wonder if he doesn't make a few McDonalds trips while Mom is at home with the kids.
Hey, turn that frown upside down! He was a good guy, a boon to our world here below, and plus to that beyond! :)
Okay :-)
It is possible, but it is not simple.
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