Ferndale Mom Gets 7 Days In Jail For Defying Order To Vaccinate Son

FERNDALE, MI — A Ferndale woman was jailed Wednesday for refusing to honor an Oakland County Circuit Court judge’s order to vaccinate her son. Rebecca Bredow will spend seven days in jail for ignoring Judge Karen McDonald’s Sept. 27 order to vaccinate her 9-year-old.

"I understand you love your children. But what I don't think you understand is that your son has two parents, and dad gets a say," said McDonald, who found Bredow in contempt of court. "It's clear to me that you don't care about orders even if you agree to them, which you did," the judge said. "Your attorney signed that order."

Bredow told the judge said she takes "full responsibility" for her actions. She said vaccinations go against her religious beliefs and she should have raised her objections sooner.

"I'm a passionate mother who cares deeply about my children, their health and their well-being. ... If my child was forced to be vaccinated, I couldn't bring myself to do it," Bredow said.

(For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Ferndale Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

A Troy-based non-profit organization is backing Bredow. “Michigan for Vaccine Choice” denounced McDonald’s ruling.

“As the primary caregiver of the child, it is unfortunate Rebecca’s objections on this matter have not been adequately represented or enforced,” said Joel Dorfman, a spokesman for Michigan for Vaccine Choice, said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, should the child experience any harm from the eight vaccines at once, the fact is Rebecca will be the only one left to care for that child, not the father, the judge, or the doctor.”

The judge said Bredow has a history of making child-rearing decisions without consent from her ex-husband, James Horne. McDonald granted temporary custody to him and ordered the boy to be properly vaccinated.

Bredow was first ordered to vaccinate her son in November 2016, the Detroit Free Press reported. Horne’s attorney said the Bredow’s religious claim for failing to vaccinate the boy is bogus, telling the newspaper it was a “convenient lie.”

Whatever her reasoning, Michigan for Vaccine Choice is backing Bredow’s stand. Supporters encouraged her in a post on the group’s Facebook page.

“This is disgusting that she was penalized for taking care of her own child,” wrote Roxanne Raiche Katsis. “Now our children belong to the State?”

“This is so horribly unfair to this mother, little boy and step dad,” Vicky Ingram wrote.

In addition, a campaign has been started by a Bredow supporter on the crowd funding site GoGetFunding.com. As of late Thursday afternoon, $1,233 had been raised of a $10,000 goal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo by Joe Raedle / Staff / Getty Images News / Getty Images