US judge tells mother she will go to prison unless her son gets vaccinated

Rebecca Bredow believes she has right to decide whether to inoculate son

Rebecca Bredow insists it is her right as a mother to choose if her son is vaccinated (7 Action News screengrab)

A mother has been told she will go to prison unless her son is vaccinated.

Rebecca Bredow believes she has the right to choose whether to inoculate her child based on her “knowledge of vaccines”.

But a judge in Detroit has given her a week to comply with the order or be thrown in jail, WXYZ Studios reports.

"I would rather sit behind bars standing up for what I believe in, than giving in to something I strongly don't believe in," Ms Bredow told the TV network.

“God forbid he were to be injured by one of the vaccines. Then what? That scares me.

“I believe in the choice of the parent to make the right decision based on their knowledge of vaccines.”

Ms Bredow said after reading books she applied for a waiver, which the state of Michigan allows for “religious convictions or other objections to immunisation”.

But the mother-of-two and her ex-husband became locked in a court battle over their son's medical rights.

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

"Why automatically side with the father that wants the vaccines? What about my choice as a mother?"

According to the NHS, parents concerned about “overloading” their child with vaccines should not be.

Studies show that they do not weaken a child’s immune system, as the bacteria and viruses used in vaccines are weaker than the huge number of bugs a baby comes into contact with every day.