Israeli courts have ruled that minor children cannot be prevented from being vaccinated against COVID-19, even if one of their parents objected.
Israel last month approved vaccination for children under the age of 12, and weeks later launched a campaign to distribute doses to as many teens as possible, in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Two recent cases in which one parent supported and the other opposed shooting their offspring have reached the courts in recent weeks, following similar rulings.
According to Hebrew-language media reports, last week the Haifa Family Court granted a request by two 15-year-old brothers to take the shot. The request was supported by his mother, though his father objected.
Judge Shelley Eisenberg said the boys’ welfare, health and wishes matter most, given the circumstances. He rejected the father’s argument that there was no urgency to get vaccinated.
The boys said the vaccine would help them participate in competitive sports, in which they come into close contact with members of their age group, most of whom are not vaccinated.
The Haifa District Court on Thursday dismissed a woman’s appeal against a lower court’s ruling that her daughter could be vaccinated despite the mother’s objection. In this case the father supported the daughter’s desire to shoot.
The court ruled that the health ministry’s recommendation to vaccinate people aged 12-15 years was made in accordance with law, also accepting the argument that repeated quarantine periods affected the girl’s mental health .
Israeli youth receive COVID-19 vaccines at a vaccination center in Tel Aviv Municipality and Magen David Edom in Tel Aviv, July 6, 2021.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said that vaccinations, especially for children, are A key strategy in preventing a renewed outbreak While refraining from re-introducing the restrictions imposed in the last one year. Most adults have already been vaccinated.
The resurgence of the virus has become a major issue for Bennett’s new government, less than two months after the number of cases plummeted, allowing Israel to lift most restrictions and reopen public life.
The resurgence of the coronavirus in Israel has been largely attributed to the spread of the delta variant, which was first detected in India and is believed to be twice as contagious as the original COVID strain.