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 couples 3-year-old daughter weighed 12 pounds when she was taken to Phoenix Childrens 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 Attorneys 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 couples 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 Childrens 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 "werent consciously starving their kids."
He noted that the childrens 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 dont 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 didnt 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 dont absorb protein and that the holistic doctor diagnosed the problem, according to the report. They supplemented the 3-year-olds 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 its 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 its 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 childs 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
3 years old and weighs 12 pounds!!! Is that possible? Babies are born weighing that much.
Why not?
We get a side of beef every 16-18 months (5 of us at the dinner table), approx. 220lbs of packaged beef. Kids aren't fat nor are they too skinny. It's good to be a carnivore:
But they cannot function on asparagus shakes and soybean smoothies. To many liberals, these diets are their "religion."
Too young.. maybe when they're older. Why give them an early start on heart disease? Fresh, free range chicken and fish is better.
I switched to a vegetarian diet 3 months ago for health reasons (yes, it has worked and is working). I have to say that it is not for everyone...and you do need to be mature enough to make a conscious decision about it. The parents in this case are thoroughly insane.
Regards, Ivan
Don't know about the seizures but the physical measurements of the children are very disturbing. What kind of human being would allow their own children to suffer because of a lifestyle choice?
Well sure, but an occasional steak won't hurt.
Great! Now you're making me hungry.
Oooh oooh! Petronski was born 31 days late, at 12 lbs 8 oz.
I used to be in PETA but I left. Many vegans treat the diet as religion which is dangerous. It becomes fanatical objects of worship. I found a nice christian,vegetarian group that isn't so fanatical. Having said that, I deal with vegans every day and only had one customer have problems with diet.
LOL
As Ivan said above, it has to be a conscious decision. A three year old kid doesn't get to make that choice.
Sure now and then. Everyone has a choice and sometimes the fanatics forget that. There is a psychological term for people obsessed with the perfect diet.
And I (finally) have the picture to prove it!
They sound VERY isolated. Mental illness is possible.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.