Ask a Family Law Lawyer in Bergen County, NJ: “Now That I am 18, Where do I Get Vaccinated?”

1. 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.

2. 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 Bergen County 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.