As an American, the first reaction to such a headline should be one of unease. Taking a child because a parent refuses to get vaxxed? But after we learn the details, the judge’s order makes far more sense (as they often do when one goes beyond the headlines.) Rebecca Firlit is wrong, and going to the media to complain isn’t going to do her any good.
First of all, she lives in a community with mandatory vaccinations, which we allow in this country on a municipal level in emergencies. Just as municipalities, counties, and even states, in Louisiana and Mississippi are ordering people to get the fck out right about now, ahead of Ida, the local government has the power to say “Get vaxxed.” The federal government probably does not.. The mother is defying a local order that the judge is empowered to enforce. Indeed, he or she must.
Second of all, the government is not taking possession of the child, the child’s father is taking the child.
Having set out the two caveats above, this makes far more sense. From Mediaite:
As the Delta wave continues to grow, the issue of vaccine mandates has become more and more central to efforts to combat the pandemic. Cook County Judge James Shapiro threw a new wrinkle into the works when he ordered that Mrs. Firlit be stripped of all parenting time with her son — custody if whom she shares wirth her ex-husband — until she gets vaccinated.
Yes, well, Firlit didn’t see it this way and went to the media:
“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.”
Nobody said it wasn’t best to be with his mother, nor did anyone say the child couldn’t be with his mother. Had she merely gotten vaxxed, there would be no problem.
The father’s attorney approved:
“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,” Leving said.
But Firlit isn’t done fighting… alas:
“I miss my son more than anything. It’s been very difficult. I haven’t seen him since August 10th.”
Incorrect. She does not miss her son “more than anything.” Put the stats up, look at the odds that the vaccine hurts her versus the odds of the delta variant hurting her or her son, and we will quickly see that what she misses more than anything is standing up and making a political argument, not her son.
Once the situation is explained, the headline doesn’t sound so bad.
https://twitter.com/apexworldnews/status/1431529458431889411
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