A US mother who claims she can’t have the Covid-19 jab as she has bad reactions to vaccines has been stripped of custody rights by a judge.
A US mother has been stripped of her parental rights over her refusal to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Rebecca Firlit said Chicago Judge James Shapiro revoked all of her parenting time with her son during a child support hearing with her ex-husband until she gets vaccinated.
“I miss my son more than anything. It’s been very difficult. I haven’t seen him since August 10th,” Ms Firlit told local outlet FOX 32.
A spokesperson for Judge Shaprio told the outlet the judge could not comment on the ruling due to the ongoing nature of the case.
Ms Firlit, who has reportedly been divorced for seven years and shares custody of her son with her ex-husband, said she does not want to get the vaccine due to previous adverse reactions to vaccines.
“He was placing his views on me. And taking my son away from me,” Ms Firlit said.
Her lawyer, Annette Fernholz, believes the judge overstepped his bounds.
“The trial court clearly exceeded its authority in suspending the mother’s parenting time when the issue before the court was child support,” Ms Fernholz told Fox News in a statement.
“The mother did not know her parenting time was being discussed when she went to Zoom court on August [10]. The judge deprived her of notice and a full hearing on the issue. The issue is now before the Illinois appellate court.”
She added that “the father did not even bring this issue before the court.”
Jeffrey Leving, the lawyer representing Ms Firlit’s ex-husband in the custody case, told the outlet that while Judge Shapiro’s order came as a surprise, they support the decision.
“There are children who have died because of Covid. I think every child should be safe. And I agree that the mother should be vaccinated,” Mr Leving said.
While children have experienced lower Covid-19 infection rates and lower risk of severe virus symptoms than adults, worldwide hospitals are reporting increasing paediatric Covid-19 cases as the delta variant spreads compared to rates seen during previous surges.
US health officials have urged those who are eligible to get vaccinated to protect others who cannot.
Businesses across the US, as well as local governments and schools, have moved to require Covid-19 vaccinations among all employees who do not have a medical exemption or require mask-wearing at all times for individuals who do not get the vaccine in an effort to reduce infection rates.
Mr Leving told FOX 32 that he believes Judge Shapiro’s ruling could play out in other custody cases.
The Covid vaccines have been free and widely available in the US for many months now, yet only half of the country’s population is fully vaccinated.
About two-third of people have had at least one dose. Among the remaining third, millions of people are refusing to get vaccinated at all.
As a result, hospitals across the country are flooded with unvaccinated patients suffering from the Delta variant, and some ICU departments are at full capacity. Stories of people dying from the virus when they could have been protected from it are tragically common.
This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission
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