Ask a Family Law Lawyer in Bergen County, NJ: “Now That I am 18, Where do I Get Vaccinated?”
“My parents are kind of stupid and don’t believe in
vaccines. Now that I’m 18, where do I get vaccinated?
That was
the question posed by Ethan Lindenberger, a teen from Ohio, in a November 2018
post on Reddit, a popular discussion website. Reddit members responded in full
force, providing the teen with advice and information. The exchange led to
national media attention and an invitation, four months later, for Lindenberger
to appear before Congress.
During his
testimony in early March before the Senate Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pension, Lindenberger voiced his opposition to anti-vaccine
disinformation campaigns and asked the federal government to do better
countering such campaigns. He told members of Congress that the government
should spend more on vaccine safety research and public service information
campaigns to counter the anti-vaxxer movement.
The teen,
the oldest of four children is most concerned about his younger siblings, aged
2 to 16, who are unable to receive vaccinations because of their parent’s
opposition to them. Upon turning 18, Lindenberger received his vaccinations
against his parents wishes.
Reasons Parents Refuse to Vaccinate Children
Healthcare
providers are concerned that parental refusal to vaccinate children is leading
to an increase in the occurrence of preventable diseases in children, like the
current Measles outbreak in the state of Washington.
In a study
conducted by Chophra Makee and Kristin Bohannon, titled Exploring the Reasons Behind Parental Refusal of Vaccines, four categories informed parental
refusal of vaccinations. These are religious reasons, personal beliefs or
philosophical reasons, safety concerns, and a desire for more information from
healthcare providers as to why the vaccination is important.
Official Immunization Schedule
The U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes the official immunization
schedule for children, preteens, adults, and for health care professionals,
parents, and the general public. The various schedules can be accessed here.
New Jersey’s School Immunization Rules
17 states
allow parents to refuse to vaccinate their children for personal or
philosophical reasons. New Jersey is not one of them. New Jersey does allow
parents to opt out of vaccinating school-aged children for religious reasons.
New Jersey’s school immunization rules are contained in The Immunization of
Pupils in Schools Act (14 N.J.A.C. 8:57-4).
School-aged
children are required to receive immunizations according to a schedule before
attending school. Exemptions to the immunization requirement are available if
the parents are able to provide school officials with documentation to support
a medical exemption or religious exemption. For more information, click here.
A Family Law Lawyer BergenCounty is Available to Help Your Family
The Family Law Lawyers in Bergen County
help families resolve child support, child custody, guardianship, spousal
support, divorce, Medicaid planning, special needs, probate, and veterans’
affairs matters. To request a consultation with a Family Law Lawyer in New Jersey, click here
or call (201) 690-1642 today.
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