One mum has been jailed for refusing to vaccinate her son

Rebecca Bredow refused to immunise her nine-year-old son.

An American woman has been given a jail sentence of one week after she went against a judge’s order to vaccinate her son. While Bredow is allowed under Michigan law to choose to not vaccinate her child, a judge’s order in November 2016 led to her and the child’s father agreeing to have their son immunised. Therefore, Bredow was then charged with contempt of court and was sentenced to a week in jail. Bredow claims that she and the child’s father agreed to keep vaccinations spaced out and says that the judge's order would have resulted in her son getting eight immunisations in one go and says it is against her beliefs. Speaking in Oakland County Court, Bredow said:

“I would rather sit behind bars standing up for what I believe in than giving in to something I strongly don’t believe in.”

She told WXYZ Studios:

"I would rather sit behind bars standing up for what I believe in, than giving in to something I strongly don't believe in. “God forbid he were to be injured by one of the vaccines. Then what? That scares me. “I believe in the choice of the parent to make the right decision based on their knowledge of vaccines.”

Rebecca said she made her decision after reading books and research on the topic, and then applied for a waiver that the state of Michigan allows for “religious convictions or other objections to immunisation" The mum-of-two and her ex-husband later became locked in a legal dispute over their son's medical rights, leaving Rebecca feeling "backed into a corner." She added:

"I feel angry. I feel backed into a corner. “I feel like my rights as a parent have been taken away.” "Why automatically side with the father that wants the vaccines? What about my choice as a mother?"

The mum has now been sentenced to one week in jail for contempt of court.