Mother Was Not Allowed To See Son Until Vaccinated, Judge Said

CHICAGO — A mother says a Cook County judge took away custody rights of her child after learning the woman was unvaccinated during a routine child support hearing. The ruling has since been rescinded, but left the woman barred from her child for two weeks.

Rebecca Firlit, of Chicago, told FOX 32 News that Judge James Shapiro asked if she was vaccinated against COVID-19 on Aug. 10. After Firlit told the judge she was not due to bad reactions to vaccines in the past, Shapiro ordered her not to see her son until she gets vaccinated.

Firlit and her ex-husband have joint custody of their 11-year-old son.

Shapiro rescinded his ruling on Monday, but an attorney for Firlit said the matter is still not over.

"The way this order is written, it kind of invites the dad to bring the issue back before [Shapiro]," attorney Annette Fernholz told Patch in a statement.

The father's attorney said the man was surprised by the ruling, but agreed the child would be safer with a vaccinated parent since he cannot yet get a COVID-19 vaccine, court records said.

"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," Firlit told FOX32.

From Aug. 10 to Aug. 30, Firlit was only allowed to talk to her son on the phone and see him on video-chats.