Re C (Welfare of Child: Immunisation) – Room to Refuse? Immunisation, Welfare and the Role of Parental Decision Making
17 Pages Posted: 29 Mar 2012
Date Written: March 29, 2012
Abstract
Disputes between parents over routine childhood immunisation raise questions about the justiciability of minor issues of medical treatment and the courts’ handling of parental decisions. This commentary on the first instance and Court of Appeal judgments in Re C argues that the construction of welfare frequently deployed in such disputes is a narrow and individualistic one which privileges medical best interests and norms over a wider conception of welfare, and fails to take sufficient account of rights-based arguments.
Keywords: family law, child law, immunisation, welfare, parental decision making
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation