In the maternity ward of a small hospital, armed security guards stood between an HIV-positive woman and her newborn baby boy. Her husband rushed in to find the room filled with doctors, a petitioner from juvenile court, and a police officer. In resisting AZT treatment for their son and choosing to breastfeed him, these two new parents faced charges of "intent to harm" their child. The boy was remanded into state custody.
This Child of Mine tells the stories of three families living with HIV who rejected their doctors’ recommendations on testing, treatment and breastfeeding. Traveling from a quiet city in Oregon, to a trailer home in rural Maine, to the heart of an “AIDS dissident” movement in Los Angeles, the film raises questions about the rights of parents to make controversial medical decisions for themselves and for their children. As they face accusations of negligence and child endangerment, the parents find themselves straddling a line between deep conviction and flagrant "denialism". This Child of Mine offers an intimate portrait of what it means to be a parent standing alone against global science, national media, and often, public outrage as they fight to keep their decisions their own.
