[MMercola] August 28, 2021, Fox32 Chicago reported1 that a Cook County judge had stripped a mother of her parental rights because she refused to get the COVID jab.The mother, Rebecca Firlit, had a shared custody agreement with her former husband. August 10, they'd appeared in court via Zoom for a child support hearing, at which time, Judge James Shapiro asked about their vaccination status.
Firlit said she had not gotten the shot because her doctor had advised against it, as she's had bad reactions to vaccines in the past. "It poses a risk," she told Shapiro.2 The father said he had gotten the shot. The judge then took the surprising step of stripping Firlit of her parenting time with her 11-year-old son until she got the jab.
Firlit's attorney, Annette Fernholz, said the judge overstepped his authority and acted outside his jurisdiction. She told WFLD:3
"The father did not even bring this issue before the court. So it's the judge on his own and making this decision that you can't see your child until you're vaccinated."
JUDGE REVERSES DECISION AFTER PUBLIC BACKLASH
As horrifying as that story is, there is good news. August 30, 2021, Judge Shapiro did a sudden about-face and reversed his decision to keep Firlit from seeing her son.4 According to Fernholz, Shapiro's decision to reverse his ruling was prompted by the national backlash that took place after Fox32 News broke the story, days earlier. The Illinois divorce bar reportedly also got involved.