The Guardian - Over-12s should be able to get Covid vaccine in Australia without parental consent, say experts

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Over-12s should be able to get Covid vaccine in Australia without parental consent, say experts

Link [2022-01-24 20:02:37]

Researchers call for guidelines for when children want to get vaccines against the wishes of their parents

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Children aged 12 or over should be allowed to receive a Covid vaccine without the consent of their parents, leading ethicists and paediatricians say, while also calling for clearer national guidelines on the issue.

John Massie, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Melbourne and a child bioethicist, said in a podcast published by the Medical Journal of Australia and in an accompanying piece co-authored with other experts that if those aged 12 and up “have the capacity to understand the nature of the illness … and the procedure and the side effects and the risks, then they should be able to give consent”.