Should routine childhood immunizations be compulsory?

dc.contributor.authorIsaacs, D.
dc.contributor.authorKilham, H.
dc.contributor.authorMarshall, H.
dc.date.issued2004
dc.descriptionArticle first published online: 22 JUN 2004
dc.description.abstractRoutine childhood immunizations are compulsory in a small number of countries, including the United States of America. Arguments used to justify making immunizations compulsory include enhancing the health of the community and treating as paramount the rights of the child to be protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. But compulsory immunization infringes the autonomy of parents to make choices about child rearing, an autonomy which we generally respect unless doing so seriously endangers the child's health. We present a historical review and ethics discussion on whether routine childhood immunizations should be compulsory. We conclude that, for both ethical and practical reasons, routine immunization should not be compulsory if adequate levels of immunization can be achieved by other means.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityD Isaacs, HA Kilham and H Marshall
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2004; 40(7):392-396
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/j.1440-1754.2004.00399.x
dc.identifier.issn1034-4810
dc.identifier.issn1440-1754
dc.identifier.orcidMarshall, H. [0000-0003-2521-5166]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/32981
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBlackwell Publishing Asia
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2004.00399.x
dc.subjectbio-ethics
dc.subjectcoercion
dc.subjectethics
dc.subjectno fault compensation
dc.titleShould routine childhood immunizations be compulsory?
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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