A Woman Refused To Vaccinate Her Kid. Police Kicked In Her Door

Thursday footage reveals that when an Arizona mom refused to take her unvaccinated child to the emergency room out of fear of the Arizona Department of Child Safety, she and her family were awoken by armed police who burst through their front door and took their children.

Sarah Beck, the mother of three children, brought her two-year-old son to the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine’s clinic on February 25 when she found he had a high fever of 102 degrees. When the doctor recommended that she take her son to the emergency room, Beck was afraid that she would be reported to the Arizona Department of Child Safety since her son was not vaccinated. The doctor assured her that this would not happen, but Beck remained fearful and ultimately did not take her son to the emergency room.

The Washington Post reports that the doctor called the emergency room and alerted them that Beck should be coming in soon. When Beck and her child did not appear, the doctor began calling Beck repeatedly and warned her that if she did not take her child to the emergency room, she would report Beck to the Arizona Department of Child Safety. Beck told the doctor that she had bought a thermometer on the way home, that the child’s temperature had dropped, and that there was no need for a trip to the emergency room.

The doctor then called Arizona Department of Child Safety and that night, around 1:30 am, armed policemen from the Chandler Police Department burst through the door of Beck’s home.  Prior to bursting through the door, the policemen had approached the home and asked Bryce to come outside. Footage released Thursday reveals that 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 two-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.

“They treated us like criminals, busting in our door,” the children’s father, Brooks Bryce, told KPNX last month. “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 according to The Washington Post.

In the police report, policemen reported that the home was a mess because clothing was scattered on the floor. They also reported that the father had a gun next to the bed, a weapon which 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 The Washington Post. The two-year-old was diagnosed with a respiratory virus.

Arizona State Rep. Kelly Townsend said recently that it was possible “that these parents may have been targeted by the medical community because they hadn’t vaccinated their children.”

In a Facebook post, Townsend called on DCS to return the children to their family. “This is a complete miscarriage of justice and a shame to the State of Arizona,” Townsend said.

Townsend told The Washington Post that 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 a request for comment by The Daily Caller News Foundation.