Mom fights in court against vaccinating toddler, judge to decide

(WJBK) - After a local mother refused to vaccinate her toddler, arguing it could do more harm than good in protecting against illness, a judge will decide whether the girl should be immunized.

An Oakland County mother appeared in court Monday to fight to keep her baby daughter from being vaccinated. The father of the baby wants to have his daughter vaccinated.

The mother, Lori Matheson, said this when she was in court last fall as supporters rallied on behalf outside the Oakland County courthouse.

"I started reading different literature on vaccinations and when I started reading them that's when I found out that there are vaccinations that are cultured in aborted fetus cells," she said.

However FOX 2 spoke with a doctor who said that is not true. On Monday the court heard testimony from Dr. Teresa Holtrop, the president elect of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy Of Pediatrics. She testified on the importance of babies and children getting vaccinations.

Matheson says she doesn't want to vaccinate her daughter because her family has a history of autoimmune disorders and she's concerned vaccinations will increase the likely hood that her daughter would contract a disorder.

FOX 2 spoke with a doctor who said that is very unlikely.

Testimony resumes on Tuesday. The judge is expected to decide whether the child will have to get vaccinated or not.