Mum banned from seeing son, 11, until she gets Covid vaccine
A judge has banned a mum from seeing her son until she receives a vaccine for Covid-19.
Rebecca Firlit, from Chicago, says a judge stripped her of custody during a child support hearing with her ex-husband earlier this month, Fox 32 reports.
Ms Firlit told the publication she last saw her son on August 10 — the same day of the judge's ruling.
The mum, who has shared custody of her son, 11, with her ex-husband for the past seven years, said Cook County Judge James Shapiro suddenly asked her during the Zoom meeting if she had been vaccinated.
When she said that she hadn't, the judge removed her custody, a decision Ms Firlit is now appealing.
"I think that it’s wrong. I think that it’s dividing families. And I think it’s not in my son's best interest to be away from his mother," Ms Firlit told Fox 32.
"It had nothing to do with what we were talking about. He was placing his views on me. And taking my son away from me."
Ms Firlit said she misses her “son more than anything” but she's concerned about the Covid vaccine because she claims to have had adverse reactions to others.
Her lawyer Annette Fernholz said the court “clearly exceeded its authority”.
Ms Firlit’s husband did not bring the issue toward the court but his lawyer Jeffrey Leving backed the decision.
“There are children who have died because of Covid. I think every child should be safe,” he said.
A spokesperson for the judge denied to comment on the matter when asked by Fox 32.
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'No room to put these bodies'
The number of Covid-19-related deaths has increased in 42 US states in the last week, CNN reported on Saturday.
The number of virus deaths increased by more than 50 per cent over the past week in 14 states and by at least 10 percent in 28 other states, data from the Johns Hopkins University showed on Friday.
In Alabama, a hot spot in the latest virus surge, 50 people lost their lives to Covid-19 on Thursday.
The state health officer Dr Scott Harris said local medical staff were forced to use mobile trailers to house bodies following the soaring deaths, according to CNN.
With a positive rate of Covid-19 testing standing at around 23 per cent, leading all US states, Alabama is "really in a crisis situation" with "enough people dying" and "no room to put these bodies," Dr Harris said.
The US had administered a total of 366,742,288 vaccine doses as of Saturday, data shows.
However, as the fall semester calls numerous unvaccinated American children back to schools, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday said all 50 states post high transmission rates of Covid-19.
The CDC defines virus transmission to be high when the total number of new cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period exceeds 100, according to CNN.
with Reuters
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