Scientific article 19. AUG 2024
Opt-out vaccination in school and daycare: Reconciling parental authority and obligations
Authors:
- Didde Boisen Andersen
- Viki Møller Lyngby Pedersen
Children, youth and family
Daycare, school and education
Children, youth and family, Daycare, school and education
An increasing vaccine hesitancy among parents, which has resulted in insufficient rates of immunization, provides reason to reconsider childhood vaccination practices. Studies suggest that parents' decision-making process concerning whether to vaccinate their child is highly influenced by cognitive biases. These biases can be utilized to increase vaccination uptake via changes in the choice context. This article considers childhood vaccination programmes, which involve children being vaccinated in school or daycare unless their parents actively ‘opt out’. We suggest that such programmes reconcile parents' decisional authority and vaccination duties. First, opt-out childhood vaccination based in schools or daycare centres are not disrespectful of parental authority. Second, the programme aligns the default setting with a moral obligation to vaccinate one's child that most parents have.
Authors
- Didde Boisen AndersenViki Møller Lyngby Pedersen
About this publication
Published in
Bioethics