‘A 12-year old schoolgirl who objected to being vaccinated against COVID-19 cannot be forced to take it, a Peterborough, Ontario judge has ruled.
“The science relating to COVID-19 is developing,” wrote Justice Christopher Corkery of Ontario Superior Court. “The ‘facts’ are changing.”
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the decision came in a family court dispute. The girl’s unidentified father filed a motion with the Court compelling his ex-wife to have the girl vaccinated before the start of the school year. “It’s keeping everyone in our community safe,” the father told the Court. “It’s keeping you safe.”
The schoolgirl described as an A-student wrote in an email submitted to the court stating she did not want to get vaccinated. Her reasons included data suggesting “people who have received both shots and the booster are still getting COVID” and that “she heard from friends that their doctors are advising that children not get vaccinated.”
Justice Corkery ruled he could not mandate vaccination. “I am satisfied she is able to reasonably form her own opinions,” he wrote.
“What are the health implications if children receive the current vaccine but skip some or all of the boosters?” said Corkery. “What future COVID variant will boosters guard against?”
“These are all valid questions requiring answers which are currently unavailable. It is improper for the Court to pre-determine future medical treatments at unknown times, in unknown circumstances.”
“Does safe mean there are no side effects?” wrote Justice Corkery. “Is the vaccine effective in protecting her from contracting COVID-19, from spreading it, from dying from it, from severity of symptoms? As with informed consent there are many factors that must be carefully considered in weighing risks and benefits.”