Father Plays Russian Roulette With the Life of His Son in Parental Battle Over Vaccination Safety
by Lourdes Salvador
December 13, 2008
A 3 year old Florida child is caught in a battle between his parents over vaccination. The divorced parents cannot agree on the child’s best interests when it comes to vaccination.

Little 3-year-old Judah Howard may have inherited a rare genetic disorder that makes normal childhood immunizations a “shot in the dark”.

If Judah suffers from the disorder, he could suffer irreversible damage or death from multiple vaccines. Screening and blood testing would determine if he suffers from the illness, however his father, Bill Howard, refuses to allow it.

Though the couple’s divorce agreement stipulates that both parents must agree on medical decisions before they are carried out, Bill took Judah for multiple vaccinations in one day when Michel Howard, the boy’s mother, thought they had gone to the zoo. Bill is now insisting on more vaccinations.

The impact of the vaccinations on little Judah has yet to be determined. Michel says, “The genetic disorder runs in my family. I don’t think Bill realizes that Judah could end up dependent on full time medical care for the rest of his life.”

Before the couple dissolved their marriage, both agreed on the importance of vaccines being given cautiously, individually, and spaced out. Since the dissolution, many loose ends remain regarding medical care for Judah.

Michel says, “Bill is angry that I divorced him and to get back at me, he is endangering our son’s life.”

But chances are extremely high that Judah has inherited this rare blood disorder from his mother, grandmother, aunt, and uncle who have had vaccination complications ranging from serious allergic reactions to lifelong neurological and immunological damage which now requires ongoing medical care.

Hannah Polling, a vaccine damaged girl in Georgia, recently won a vaccine court case in which it was determined her mitochondrial disease was exacerbated by vaccination, resulting in autism like symptoms.

Michel worries the same may happen to her child. “A simple test and evaluation can tell us for sure whether he can be safely vaccinated. The results will determine how and when the vaccines should be administered,” she says.

Though Michel secured a pediatrician in Broward who is well versed in vaccine complications and these high risk kids, Bill would not allow it, saying it is further than he wants to travel.

“I’m not against vaccination. It would simply be irresponsible of me as a mother to administer any further immunizations due to the high likelihood of this inherited illness that has caused devastating life-long complications with other family members when they have been vaccinated. I love my son and want what’s truly best for him.”

While the parents battle it out and attempt to work with each other through a parent coordinator, Judah’s fate may hang in the balance of court officials.

Ron