Unvaccinated Father Temporarily Blocked From Seeing Son

A father in Canada has temporarily lost his rights to see his 12-year-old son because he’s not vaccinated for COVID-19.

A Quebec judge ruled a father will no longer be able to see his young son until February because he’s unvaccinated and allegedly “opposed to health measures.” According to NDTV, per Quebec newspaper Le Devoir, the judge believed that the ruling was made in the “best interest” of the child.

The judge ruled on the decision on December 23. However, if the father gets vaccinated, his visitation rights will be given back to him. “It would not be in the child’s best interest to have contact with their father if he is not vaccinated and is opposed to health measures in the current epidemiological context,” said the judge.

The judge added that even though the child is vaccinated, children’s protection “seems reduced against the Omicron variant which is spreading at the moment in Quebec.”

This all became an issue when the father asked the child’s mother to extend his time with the child during the holidays. The mother declined the request and later used photos from social media to show the court that the father wasn’t vaccinated and abiding by COVID-19 safety measures.

The mother lives with her partner and two small children, who are seven months and four years old. Because they can’t get vaccines, the judge said the 12-year-old visiting their father could hold a risk. “In these circumstances, it is not in the interest of any of the three children” for the child to be around his father at this time.