Joost Huijer on the role of parents and judges in the vaccination of minors
Child rights expert at UCERF (Utrecht 木瓜福利影视) on NPO television and radio
On Saturday 22nd of January, the programme EenVandaag devoted attention to the discussion about the vaccination against corona of minors aged 5 through 11. Since this week, minors from this age group receive an invitation for the vaccination. Both parents have to give permission for this if they both have the authority. This can lead to heated discussions and, in extreme cases, even to court cases. In the programme, Joost Huijer gives a brief explanation of how legal consent for the medical treatment of minors is regulated in the Netherlands and how the courts consider cases of this kind. Previously, he appeared on the radio on the same subject.
Older children (12 years and over) decide together with their parents whether or not to have a vaccination. If the parents disagree, the child's opinion ultimately prevails in the event of a court case. For younger children, the decision is entirely up to the parents. If they cannot reach an agreement among themselves, and it ends up in court, Huijer dares to make a prediction. "In disputes about vaccinations such as tetanus or polio, you see that after weighing up the interests, the court ultimately deems it to be in the child's best interest to carry out the vaccination after all. Hereby, the advice of the Health Council (Dutch: Gezondheidsraad) is specifically referred to. This leads to my cautious expectation that, if these cases about corona vaccination of 5 to 11 year olds go to court, the outcome will be in the same direction."
The on corona vaccinations of minors of 22 January 2022 can be seen via the NPO website (Joost Huijer from min. 24)
The on vaccination of minors of 20 January 2022 can be listened back via the NPO website (Joost Huijer from min. 13)