Mom on Run to Avoid Vaccinating Child
BALDWIN: A Florida mother has taken a stand against vaccines by taking her toddler and going on the run. The FBI has just charged Megan Everett with flight to avoid prosecution. Just last month, the state of Florida charged her with kidnapping. Here's the story. Everett and the father of his two-year-old, Lilly, they share custody. On the day Everett was supposed to drop Lilly off, the father found a letter from Everett instead, according to court documents, and in part this is what it read. Quote, "I love you and Lilly loves you. You are a great dad. If I let them take her and vaccinate her and brain wash her, I wouldn't be doing what's right. I cannot let a judge tell me how my daughter should be raised. We will miss you, but I have to leave."</s>ROBERT BAUMANN, FATHER OF KIDNAPPED CHILD: My daughter deserves to be safe and happy and I don't believe being on the run is, you know -- psychologically OK for a two-year-old. I do fear for my daughter's life. I do fear that if she's not in a safe place, you know, she gets injured, I don't feel like she'd seek medical attention.</s>BALDWIN: CNN legal analyst and mom -</s>SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes.</s>BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin joins me here. I mean clearly this mother thinks what she is doing is in the best interest of her child. That said, would prosecutors give her mom any -- this mom any lenience because of that?</s>HOSTIN: You know, not at all, because now we're really talking about a kidnapping case, right? And we're also talking about a father who clearly disagrees with that.</s>BALDWIN: Right.</s>HOSTIN: Most courts, Brooke, do agree that you have to decide these cases based on what's in the best interest the of the child. But certainly kidnapping, as the father just said, is never in the best interest of a child. And the fact that she disagrees with having her child vaccinated is one thing. We've all debated that at one time or another. You know that's something that -</s>BALDWIN: Could that be used against her?</s>HOSTIN: You know, I think that what is going to be used against her is the fact that she sort of flouted these court orders, these custody -- this custody agreement and took her child. But I will tell you, this is a debate that moms have often. This vaccination debate has been in the forefront, I think, ever since, you know -</s>BALDWIN: For years.</s>HOSTIN: Jenny McCarthy -</s>BALDWIN: Right.</s>HOSTIN: For years sort of came out against it. And I will tell you, there's no federal vaccination law that doesn't exist. But each state does require certain vaccinations and immunizations for public schools. If you want to put your child in school. But there are always exemptions. And that's something that this mother could have done. There are medical exempt --</s>BALDWIN: That would be my follow-up. There are exemptions?</s>HOSTIN: Yes. There are.</s>BALDWIN: he should have followed those paths.</s>HOSTIN: Absolutely. There are exemptions. There are medical exemptions. There are philosophical exemptions, believe it or not. There are personal belief exemptions. And so the law does provide for situations like this when a mom doesn't want to vaccinate her child. But you cannot just kidnap your child. And I think what is really interesting is that in the note that she left, she said, "you are a great dad." Well, the court is going to look at that and say, so he's a great dad --</s>BALDWIN: Hang on a second, right.</s>HOSTIN: But you are still taking his child away from him. It's not going to end well, I think, for this mother when and if and hopefully they do find this child.</s>BALDWIN: Hopefully they do.</s>HOSTIN: Yes.</s>BALDWIN: We'll follow up when they do. Sunny Hostin, thank you so much.</s>HOSTIN: Thanks, Brooke. And just ahead, the U.S. had captured the leader of this group, terrorizing Iraq right now, but let him go. And on his way out, he told a commanding officer, "see you in New York." You will hear from that officer in just a moment. Plus, the U.S. and Iran have similar interests in taking down these militants, but will they talk? Christiane Amanpour joins me live. Don't miss it.