US mum jailed for refusing to vaccinate nine-year-old son

A vehement anti-vaxxer has been sent to prison in the US for refusing to keep her nine-year-old's vaccinations up to date because immunisation goes "against her beliefs".

Michigan mum Rebecca Bredow — a self-proclaimed "educated vaccine-choice mother" — was ordered by an Oakland County judge to complete her schoolboy son's vaccinations before the beginning of October or spend time behind bars. Yesterday, she was handed a seven day sentence.

The mother-of-two was taken to court by her ex-husband and father of the boy who says his son should be protected from childhood disease.

Under state law, parents can chose whether to vaccinate their children but Bredow fell foul because she previously agreed an immunisation schedule with her ex partner.

"I would rather sit behind bars standing up for what I believe in, than giving in to something I strongly don't believe in," Bredow defiantly told local news station WXYZ last month.

"I feel angry. I feel backed into a corner. I feel like my rights as a parent have been taken away," she added.

In court yesterday she echoed this sentiment, saying immunisation goes against her beliefs.

The mum-of-two says when their baby boy was born, they chose to space out the injections and even delay some of their son’s vaccinations.

Now, she doesn’t want to complete the process, which her ex-husband does not agree with and has taken her to court over.

“It wasn’t until they started grouping them together that I backed off of doing vaccines," she said.

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Michigan is one of 20 US States which allow parents to get an exemption from vaccinations on more than just religious or medical grounds - known as 'philosophical' waivers.