An anti-vax dad from Canada has been on the run for more than two months, taking his seven-year-old daughter with him to prevent her mother from getting her vaccinated.
Mariecar Jackson told CBC News that her ex-husband, Michael Jackson, failed to return their daughter after she was in his custody in November. The child was supposed to be with her dad for a week only, but Michael deliberately ignored two court orders requiring him to bring his daughter back to his mom.
The mother has no clue where Michael took their child and has likely fled Saskatchewan. Thus, Mariecar and her lawyer, Jill Drennan, have turned to the media to make a public appeal to locate the girl and her dad.
Can't Let Vaccination Happen
However, on Friday, January 7, Michael went live but under a disguise in an online talk show with host Laura Lynn to talk about his situation with his ex-wife. He confirmed that he took his daughter away because Mariecar ignored any discussions with him over their child's vaccination.
He was aware that Mariecar planned to get their child vaccinated once it is approved for her age group. While she had medical authority over their daughter, the dad said he could not let this happen as per their divorce agreement.
Later on, the seven-year-old was also on the show and told the host that she didn't want the vaccine because this could change someone's DNA. Despite numerous health agencies debunking these myths, the girl believes that the vaccine will also make her sick or kill a person.
Michael said he's protecting his daughter and following God's mission. He also brought along the daughter in the live interview so that viewers could see that she's happy and healthy.
Mommy Will Not Stop Looking
Mariecar further appealed to her daughter in her appearance on CBC News by saying that she would not stop looking for her.
"Every day, I pray that someday you'll be home," the mom said, hoping that their daughter would see the clip as well. "Mommy is standing strong and someday we will be together."
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police did not have any comment on the case. On the other hand, the Regina Police Service said they couldn't open a criminal investigation against the father because the court orders lacked the proper verification.
Vaccine Hesitancy in Saskatchewan
Meanwhile, Health Canada authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children above five years old in Canada in November 2021. However, the uptake has been slow in provincial towns like Saskatchewan due to vaccine hesitancy among the parents. Saskatchewan has the lowest vaccination rate as well in all of Canada.
Studies from the University of Saskatchewan indicated that many locals believe that the vaccine trials are insufficient, and misconceptions about vaccine safety continue to proliferate. Others have refused the vaccine due to religious or medical grounds.
Experts from the university also said that those who didn't want the vaccine are more than likely not wearing a face mask or observing social distancing, thus raising more concerns from health officials who have been trying to control the rising cases. The province of Saskatchewan has over 10,000 active cases as of January.
