The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has voted 16 to 1 to uphold a decision in the Czech Republic which banned unvaccinated children from attending school.
The court on Thursday found that this decision was legally valid, as its goal was “protective” for other students, as opposed to a “punitive” measure against the unvaccinated.
“The objective has to be that every child is protected against serious diseases, through vaccination or by virtue of herd immunity,” the court said in a statement.
“The Czech health policy could, therefore, be said to be consistent with the best interests of the children who were its focus.”
This ruling could have significant implications for vaccine policy at a Europe-wide level, including in Ireland, as the ECHR generally supersedes Irish courts and Irish law.
Though mandatory vaccinations have been ruled out by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, who said that the jab will not be compulsory for healthcare workers, this has been brought into question recently when student nurses were told by Taoiseach Micheál Martin that they had an “obligation” to receive the vaccine and would not be able to complete their degrees otherwise, for the sake of “collective solidarity” and the “overall good.”
There are no plans to introduce mandatory vaccines for health workers, according to the Health Minister.@DonnellyStephen on @TheHardShoulder https://t.co/AELishDvji
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) February 11, 2021
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has confirmed that student nurses have an “obligation” to take the covid-19 vaccine, even if they don’t want it, for the sake of “collective solidarity” and the “overall good.”#gripthttps://t.co/8cMvjInYKy
— gript (@griptmedia) March 31, 2021
Moreover, Trinity college immunisation Professor Luke O’Neill has said that “if we want to get to herd immunity, we’re going to have to vaccinate the children.”
Professor Luke O'Neill says Pfizer trial results show the company's vaccine works 'superbly well' in children. https://t.co/9zWQDB0tqv
— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) April 1, 2021
Professor O’Neill on The Tonight Show with Virgin Media also said that “the Pfizer vaccine causes [blood] clots” in “some people”.
Luke O'Neill – "But the Pfizer vaccine causes clots, by the way………..it doesn't mean the vaccine's causing the clot".
Double speak to keep the masses paralysed with confusion. #Covid19Ireland #EnoughIsEnough #EndTheLockdown #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/110WiNBC4G
— JRD (@JRD0000) April 7, 2021
To date, not one individual under 18 has died of covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland, and studies continue to show that the odds of healthy children dying from covid-19 are infinitesimally small.
#Coronavirus: 'Reassuring' study of children's 'tiny' risk https://t.co/f2BaicafWa
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) September 18, 2020