Mother claims Richter took away parental rights over the vaccine
For the past two weeks, Firlit has been able to speak to her son on the phone and via video calls, but has not seen him in person.
CHICAGO – A mother from Chicago says a Cook County judge stripped of her parental rights after learning she was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
All parties agree that it is a very unusual and perhaps unprecedented move: A judge at the Daley Center in Chicago has stripped of custody of Rebecca Firlit for refusing to get a vaccination.
“I miss my son more than anything. It was very difficult. I haven’t seen him since August 10th,” Firlit told FOX 32 News in an exclusive interview.
“Beyond Jurisdiction”: Cook County Judge Removes Custody of Unvaccinated Mother
One mother says a Cook County judge stripped of her parental rights after learning she was not vaccinated against COVID-19.
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That day, Firlit and her ex-husband appeared in court through Zoom for a child support hearing involving their 11-year-old son. The two have been divorced for seven years and share custody and parental leave.
Out of the blue, she says Cook County judge James Shapiro asked her if she had been vaccinated. Firlit told Shapiro that she didn’t do this because she has had bad reactions to vaccines in the past.
Shapiro then ordered that Firlit be stripped of all parental leave with her son until she was vaccinated.
For the past two weeks, Firlit has been able to speak to her son on the phone and via video calls, but has not seen him in person.
“I think it’s wrong. I think it divides families. And I think it’s not in my son’s best interests to be separated from his mother,” said Firlit.
Firlit is now appealing the court order, saying the judge has nothing to do to deprive her of her parental rights just because she is not vaccinated.
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“It had nothing to do with what we were talking about. He put his views on me. And took my son from me,” said Firlit.
Annette Fernholz, Firlit’s lawyer, says the judge has exceeded his powers.
“In this case, you have a judge who doesn’t care about parental leave and the child decides, ‘Oh, you are not vaccinated. You cannot see your child until you are vaccinated.’ That is beyond his jurisdiction, “said Fernholz.
“You have to understand that the father didn’t even take this matter to court. So it’s the judge alone and decides that you can’t see your child until you are vaccinated,” added Fernholz.
The attorney representing the father, Jeffrey Leving, says they were also surprised by the judge’s decision, but they support the ruling that the child should be protected from an unvaccinated mother in the face of the pandemic.
“There are children who have died from COVID. I think every child should be safe. And I agree that the mother should be vaccinated,” Leving said.
A spokesman for Chief Judge Tim Evans and Judge Shapiro said they were unable to comment due to the ongoing nature of the case.
Leving believes the judge is breaking new ground that may now come to fruition in other custody cases. There is no timetable for when the appeals court will make its decision.
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