Challenges filed to DC law that lets kids get vaccinated without parents' permission

[SAguide]

Challenges filed to DC law that lets kids get vaccinated without parents' permission
Plaintiffs say the rule violates the parents’ rights and religious freedom.

Story at a glance

• The D.C. Council in October voted 12-1 to approve the Minor Consent to Vaccinations Amendment Act.
  
• The measure allows minors, age 11 and over, to decide to get vaccinated without their parents’ knowledge if a doctor says they are capable of informed consent.
  
• Two lawsuits were filed challenging the rule this month.
  

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Several parents and organizations have filed lawsuits against Washington, D.C., city officials in an effort to challenge a law that allows children to consent to receiving government-recommended vaccines without their parents’ knowledge or permission. 

The D.C. Council in October voted 12-1 to approve the Minor Consent to Vaccinations Amendment Act. The measure allows minors, age 11 and over, to decide to get vaccinated without their parents’ knowledge if a doctor says they are capable of informed consent. 

The legislation was prompted by an outbreak of measles in 2019 that swept across dozens of states and was intended to counteract the trend of parents refusing to get their children vaccinated over health concerns. 
But now as COVID-19 vaccinations are front and center, at least two lawsuits have been filed in D.C. federal court this month arguing the rule violates the parents’ rights and religious freedom.