I feel like I have to preface this with I believe that covid exists, I've been jabbed, family members have had it (luckily all still here), I believe in long covid - I think my father and neighbour have it - so I don't get accused of being a conspiracy nutter.
I think Good Morning Britain went to far this morning, I'm getting a bit suspicious of 'suggestions' being talking about on TV, especially this show as I think they are really testing the waters to how the public will react/behave. And we have seen time after time when people say 'that won't happen, its implemented a few weeks/months later.
This morning they were talking about 16/17 year olds having the vaccine to potentially stop the class bubbles bursting. (This in its self is another thread) & Dr Hilary actually gave incorrect information but it was pointed out and he apologised.
However Adil ray, one of the presenters brought up the Gillick Competency test and this could be used to by pass parents who don't want their children to be vaccinated. Some studies claim that the GC test can be used from 11.5 years old.
So potentially, if this was passed/implemented your child could decide at 11.5 that they will have the vaccination with out your consent.
Vaccinations for younger children will happen. It will probably take place in school and we will be given the option of opting out ( I hope)
Allowing children to use the GC test in this circumstance is a terrible idea. This is not a medical treatment that has been used for years and is completely sound. We are still discovering what this vaccine does. Our children do still need our guidance over this.
We must be really wary of not allowing our emotions surrounding Covid to set a precedence we will not be able to undo. By allowing the government or schools to bypass parental consent we are giving up our parental rights.
You might agree in this circumstance that its acceptable, but what about if the government see how well that worked and decide that they want to lower teenage pregnancies and use these new powers to start giving our young girls birth control injections in school ? What if they ask our children if they want to be part of a new drug trial? Young people are easily manipulated, I've worked with children long enough to know that most things can be easily sold to them if given in the right light.
If your happy for your child to have the vaccine, thats your choice and you should afford that choice to other parents and always advocate pro choice in regards to this vaccine - even if you think every one should have it. Because your not only taking others parents rights away, you will complicit in taking your own away.
Its really concerned me that this was raised on a breakfast show whilst young people are getting ready for school.