IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IAS ‘Unsurprised’ at Waikato DHB’s Social Media Campaign to Illegally Vaccinate Minors

The Immunisation Awareness Society is urging parents to be aware of what they are calling the ‘usual underhand tactics’ by Waikato DHB to illegally coerce children into being vaccinated, with or without parental consent. District boards have become adept at breaking the Health and Disability code of rights, and parents should be on the look-out for such desperation tactics.

3 News reported last night that the DHB were utilising social media campaigns to target 14-year-olds and persuade them to be vaccinated, with or without parental permission, in an attempt to boost vaccination rates. This despite the fact that it is illegal in New Zealand to perform any medical procedure on any person under the age of 16 without parental consent.

"In New Zealand, legally parents have the final say when it comes to medical interventions, until the person reaches the age of 16. Waikato DHB are attempting to get around this by stating that if the child displayed sufficient understanding, it was ok to vaccinate them anyway. This is illegal and outrageous, but unsurprising. Parents ought to be very wary of any medical professional willing to resort to coercion, scare tactics, and peer pressure to con children into receiving a medication against their parents' will – ask yourself, if vaccination science is so solid, why are they stooping to such low behaviour? Whilst most 14-year-olds are independent and learning to make their own decisions, they are still very vulnerable to peer pressure, which is why the DHB is resorting to this kind of campaigning," says IAS spokesperson Erin Young.

“Teenagers, like their parents, should always research such medical interventions fully, and be aware of the many potential dangers they can pose and limitations they carry. Toxic chemicals, unidentified viral DNA fragments and whole virus contaminants, allergens, and various animal and human by-products are just some of the things these vaccines can contain. What if a child was coerced into a vaccine through one of these campaigns, went against their parents' wishes and was vaccinated without parental consent, and found out too late that it contained a substance they were allergic to? What if they had a serious reaction and all involved were totally ill-equipped to understand or deal with it? How would their parents feel?

"There is a reason 16 is the age of consent for these matters, and there is no way children can understand the many risks they may be facing, particularly if the only basis for their decision is social media propaganda and glossy pamphlets promoting the vaccines. Waikato DHB's underhand and illegal tactics should raise the ire of any parent. In any other circumstance, pushing a needle into a child's arm would be considered personal physical assault. This is an issue of informed consent - something which seems to be lacking more and more when it comes to the promotion of vaccines. People should be very alarmed at this move to undermine the rights of parents."

About us: The IAS is a voluntary, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting informed choice on vaccination in New Zealand.

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