When an Arizona mom refused to take her unvaccinated child to the emergency room for a high fever, police came to the family’s home and knocked in their door.
Sarah Beck, the mother of three children, brought her 2-year-old son to the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine’s clinic Feb. 25 when she found he had a high fever, according to police records. When the doctor recommended she take her son to an emergency room, Beck said she was afraid she would be reported to the Arizona Department of Child Safety since her son was not vaccinated.
The doctor told her this would not happen, but Beck did not take her son to the emergency room. (RELATED: New York County Bans Unvaccinated Kids In Public Places Amid Record-Setting Measles Outbreak)
The doctor called the emergency room and alerted staff that Beck should be coming in soon, The Washington Post reported.
When Beck and her child did not appear, the doctor began calling Beck and told her that if she did not take her child to the emergency room, she would report Beck to the Arizona Department of Child Safety, according to the police report. Beck told the doctor that she had bought a thermometer on the way home, the child’s temperature had dropped, and that there was no need for a trip to the emergency room.
The doctor then called the Arizona Department of Child Safety and that night, armed policemen from the Chandler Police Department burst through the door of Beck’s home. Prior to bursting through the door, the policemen had reportedly approached the home and asked Bryce to come outside. Footage released Thursday reveals Bryce refused and told the police over the phone that the children were fine.
When DCS issued a court order allowing them to take custody of the 2-year-old for the night for emergency medical treatment, police then forced entry into the home, took possession of all three children, and put Bryce in handcuffs, WaPo reported.
“They treated us like criminals, busting in our door,” the children’s father, Brooks Bryce, told KPNX in February. “I mean, I don’t know what kind of trauma that did to my kids.”
Beck and Bryce still do not have possession of their children, who have been placed in foster care, reported the Arizona Republic.
In the police report, policemen reported the home had clothing strewn everywhere and random stains. They also said the father had a gun next to the bed, a weapon Bryce later explained did not work. The other two children had been throwing up throughout the night but were not found to have any serious illness, according to WaPo. The 2-year-old was diagnosed with a respiratory virus.
Arizona state Rep. Kelly Townsend said it was possible “that these parents may have been targeted by the medical community because they hadn’t vaccinated their children.”
Townsend called on DCS to return the children to their family in a Facebook post.
“This is a complete miscarriage of justice and a shame to the State of Arizona,” she said.
This mother is nearly 9 months pregnant and her baby will be born soon. I have great concern that DCS will also take…
Posted by Representative Kelly Townsend on Monday, March 25, 2019
Townsend told WaPo this incident raises questions about the parents’ right to make decisions about their children’s welfare.
“Is the doctor an authority figure that you must listen to, or else risk losing your family?” she asked.
The Chandler Police Department did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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