Parents Association calls for public debate on school vaccinations
The Ministry of Social Affairs wants to change the law on student vaccinations in schools, giving young people more rights to make decisions about their own health. School nurses have been waiting a long time for the change, while parents believe a public discussion is needed first.
School nurses have been waiting for the change for a long time, while parents believe a broader public discussion on the topic is necessary.
As things stand, minors in Estonia have to have written consent from their parents in order to be vaccinated by a school nurse. Should proposed amendments to the Communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Act go ahead, parents would no longer need to submit written consent — vaccinations would proceed unless a parent formally opts out.
"If we currently send these notifications to parents via digital channels as well as direct mail, then in future it should be the case that if this law does come into force in our society, we would have tacit consent, meaning that society as a whole would effectively be vaccinated and agree with it. In that case, all those who do not agree (to be vaccinated) have to explicitly express their refusal – most likely, digitally," said Külli Reinsalu, chief nurse at the Tallinn Healthcare at School Foundation.
According to Reinsalu, there are a number of situations in which parents and children are at odds with one another. This can have an impact on whether young people decide to get vaccinated or not. In future, school nurses will be tasked with assessing young people's decision-making abilities, to determine whether the decisions they make are informed ones.
Aivar Haller, an honorary member of the Estonian Parents' Association, pointed to studies showing that although young people's logical thinking skills develop early, their emotional decision-making skills are not sufficiently mature until the age of 20. This makes giving them responsibility for making such important decisions problematic.
"That is probably within the capabilities of a psychiatrist, but it is very unlikely that such a decision can be made by a school nurse," said Haller.
"Knowing how a young person's brain develops and that at the age of 18 they are essentially incapable of making a considered decision in an emotionally charged situation, we could put ourselves in a very difficult position by legalizing this. If a parent is in conflict with their child, that is definitely an emotionally charged situation. Is a school nurse capable of understanding what is actually going on inside that young person's head at that moment?" he asked.
"Is it just a temporary protest, or is it a deeply felt and considered decision by a young person who is mature beyond their years? I'm afraid that school nurses are not qualified to make that assessment," he added.
According to Reinsalu, the process for assessing a young person's decision-making ability has been made very simple.
"There are very specific questions. It's not the case that I am just going to sit down and come up with something off the top of my head. This has all been prepared by the Chancellor of Justice's Office. There are specific questions and specific criteria," said Reinsalu.
According to Haller, Estonia is one of the few European countries where the issue of vaccination has not been publicly discussed since the Coronavirus pandemic.
"The best we can do right now is to start a public discussion on this topic. We should not rush into anything. We have often made hasty decisions and then regretted them later," said Haller.
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Editor: Johanna Alvin, Michael Cole
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
