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2012/21: Should Australian parents be compelled to have their children vaccinated?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:On November 26, 2012, the AMA President Dr Steve Hambleton gave an interview on Channel 10 in which he explains that the drop in vaccinations is leaving the community susceptible to many diseases. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'It is ... true that serious side-effects can happen, but they are rare, occurring in only about one in one million vaccinations'
Sir Gustav Nossal, an Australian research biologist specialising in immunology
'Twenty-seven years ago, my cousin was seriously brain-damaged after receiving the whooping cough jab'
Kate Figes, in an opinion piece published in The Guardian
The issue at a glance
On November 29, 2012, it was reported that the Family Court had ruled that the 8-year-old daughter of a divorced couple was to receive a complete course of vaccinations. The ruling was made against the objections of the mother who had wanted her daughter to be treated exclusively with homeopathic preparations.
The father told the court he was concerned about his daughter's health and that of the unborn child he was expecting with his new wife.
Justice Victoria Bennett said testimony from a senior Royal Children's Hospital paediatrician indicated that there was insufficient evidence to prove the efficacy of homeopathic vaccinations. The parents must now ensure that the girl receives all conventional vaccinations recommended for her age now and in the future.
Some opponents of the mass vaccination of children have viewed this case as indicative of the desire on the part of state and federal governments to compel parents to vaccinate their children.