“Alexis Hutchinson is a cook in the United States Army. She’s also the single mother of a ten-month-,old. She’s been ordered to Afghanistan but she can’t find anyone to take care of her son, so she’s not going. And now she’s in a lot of trouble.” (CNN Headline News)

Child or country? That is the question that Hutchinson faced earlier this month.  She avoided deployment to stay with her son after her scheduled family plan fell through. When she came forward the next day, she was arrested, and her son was put into child protection services. The case has media sources asking if she is AWOL or just being a mom?

We look at perspectives from CNN, ABC 7 San Francisco, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Joy Behar Show, and AOL news.

Hutchinson’s mother is now watching the baby, while Hutchinson is confined at Fort Stewart, Georgia, under investigation. ABC 7 in San Francisco looks at why her original family care plan fell through. 

“When Hutchinson was to be deployed to Afghanistan, she brought Kamini to live with Grandma, but after a week, it was too much for Hughes. She already cares for an ailing mother, a special needs daughter, and a sister that is scheduled to go into the hospital.” (KGO-TV)

Hutchinson could not find anyone else to care for her son Kamini. CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Tobin says, despite child care issues, soldiers with children still have a duty to the Army.  

“This story is played out time after time but part of the responsibility of being a soldier is to put a plan in place and the Army does offer a variety of services to help you put a plan in place, but ultimately, if you’re going to join the service and you have a child, you have to make provisions for being sent away because that’s what it means to be in the military."

A blogger for the Atlanta Journal Constitution sides with Hutchinson, saying mothers with young children should not be deployed overseas. 

“I’m not sure how feasible it is, but I personally don’t think mothers with small children should be separated at all from their babies and should be allowed to serve domestically. I believe irreparable harm can be caused by a long-term separation from the child’s mother.”

Some are asking if the Army’s reaction was excessive. The Joy Behar Show on HLN discusses this perspective with Hutchinson’s attorney.

“I think that the way that they treated her was not fair. The Army, when presented with her childcare emergency, had other options for how they dealt with her. They did not have to arrest her and they did not have to remove her child from her.”

AOL News posted a poll asking if she should face criminal charges. The public seems to side with the Army mother.

Do you think Hutchinson should face criminal charges?

No - 84%

Yes - 16%

So how would you vote? Do you think Hutchinson made the right decision?

Writer: Newsy Staff

Producer: Nathan Giannini