Should childhood MMR vaccination be compulsory? Rights, duties and the public interest

Should childhood immunisation be compulsory?

Immunisation is offered to all age groups in the UK, but is mainly given to infants and school-age children. Such immunisation is not compulsory, in contrast to other countries, such as the United States. Levels of immunisation are generally very high in the UK, but the rates of immunisation vary with the public perception of the risk of side effects. This article discusses whether compulsory v...

Rights and Duties

CHILDHOOD VACCINATION BE COMPULSORY IN THE UK ? By Miriam Fine - Goulden

Childhood vaccination is not compulsory in the UK, yet levels of immunisation are generally high. However, recent concern over vaccine safety has lead to undervaccination and an increase in rates of preventable infectious diseases. Compelling parents to vaccinate their children against their will may be acceptable in significant disease outbreaks, but this is not currently ethically justified, ...

I-14: Assisted Reproduction and Religion What Consideration Should Be and Should Not Be Relevant,

Several important issues are pertinent to an ethical discussion of the new technology today grouped under the name Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART). This is a moral imperative because each of us must decide what is to be considered ethically acceptable in assisted reproduction. Reflecting on the ethical dimension of ‘creating’ a new human life can play a major role in ensuring that in eac...

Mandating HPV vaccination--private rights, public good.

To the Editor: Those who oppose mandating vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) as a condition for school entry generally open the debate with two fundamental questions. First, how can the government interfere in the medical decisions parents make for their children by compelling immunizations for school entry? Second, how can the HPV vaccine be a good candidate for school mandates whe...