Parent Sues D.C. Health Dept. Over Law on Child Vaccinations

July 16, 2021 by Tom Ramstack
Parent Sues D.C. Health Dept. Over Law on Child Vaccinations
A patient receives a vaccine. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

WASHINGTON — The father of a 16-year-old girl is suing the District of Columbia Department of Health over its new law that allows children as young as 11 years old to get vaccinated without parental consent.

The lawsuit in U.S. District Court says the law is unconstitutional and conflicts with federal requirements on vaccinating children.

He was referring to the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, which set up a no-fault system for compensating people injured by vaccines. It also requires health care providers to give parents a vaccine information statement before injections are administered.

The D.C. Council approved a law this year that says if a doctor determines minors are capable of informed consent, they could receive government-recommended vaccinations without their parents’ permission. 

It was intended partly to speed up the rate of vaccinations for coronavirus but also to help protect children against the human papillomavirus, which is sexually transmitted. Some parents oppose HPV vaccines on religious grounds.

The plaintiff, Josh Mazer, said his daughter wanted to get a vaccine for summer camp without her parents’ knowledge. She went to MedStar Georgetown Pediatrics to get a Tdap vaccine.

She was told she needed two additional vaccines, Gardasil and MenACWY, according to the lawsuit. The girl did not receive the vaccinations but a doctor told her how to get them if she was still interested without her parents finding out, Mazer’s complaint says.

“Plaintiff is extremely concerned that a doctor in the District of Columbia sought to vaccinate his daughter J.D. without his knowledge or consent, and was prepared to engage in an elaborate subterfuge, including counseling his daughter on how to lie, in order to conceal that any vaccines were given,” Mazer said in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges violations of Fifth Amendment due process and First Amendment freedom of religion.

The case is Mazer v. D.C. Dep’t of Health, D.D.C., No. 1:21-cv-01782, in U.S. District Court, filed July 2, 2021.

A+
a-
  • D.C. Health Dept. child vaccinations
  • Litigation
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Litigation

    March 28, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Disney World Settles with Florida After Its Opposition to 'Don’t Say Gay' Law

    ORLANDO — The company that runs Walt Disney World reached a settlement Wednesday with appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis... Read More

    ORLANDO — The company that runs Walt Disney World reached a settlement Wednesday with appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who were exerting controversial regulatory control over the huge tourism complex. The settlement resolves some of the disputes that arose after Disney officials publicly denounced the... Read More

    March 14, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Jewish Group Sues UN Relief Agency Saying It Supports Hamas Terrorism

    WILMINGTON, Del. — A Jewish advocacy group sued a United Nations relief agency Wednesday in Delaware for allegedly helping Hamas... Read More

    WILMINGTON, Del. — A Jewish advocacy group sued a United Nations relief agency Wednesday in Delaware for allegedly helping Hamas in its war with Israel and the murders of Israelis and Americans. The National Jewish Advocacy Center says U.N. relief workers who were supposed to be... Read More

    New York AG Says She’ll Seize Trump’s Property if He Can’t Pay $454M Civil Fraud Debt

    NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump could be at risk of losing some of his prized properties if he can’t... Read More

    NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump could be at risk of losing some of his prized properties if he can’t pay his staggering New York civil fraud penalty. With interest, he owes the state nearly $454 million — and the amount is going up $87,502 each day until... Read More

    February 16, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Environmentalists Sue EPA for Data on Health Risks of Forever Chemicals

    WASHINGTON — Environmentalists sued the Environmental Protection Agency this week in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking information about health... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Environmentalists sued the Environmental Protection Agency this week in federal court in Washington, D.C., seeking information about health risks from forever chemicals in fluorinated plastic containers. The two groups that sued accuse the EPA of withholding information about PFAS. They are called forever chemicals... Read More

    February 6, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    DC Appellate Court Rejects Trump's Immunity Claim

    WASHINGTON — A court of appeals in the District of Columbia has rejected former President Donald Trump’s claim that he... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A court of appeals in the District of Columbia has rejected former President Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution for allegedly interfering in the 2020 presidential election. In a unanimous, 57-page ruling, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of... Read More

    February 1, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Trump Lawsuit Over Steele Dossier Dismissed by Judge in London

    LONDON, U.K. — A judge in London dismissed a lawsuit Thursday that former President Donald Trump filed against the British... Read More

    LONDON, U.K. — A judge in London dismissed a lawsuit Thursday that former President Donald Trump filed against the British intelligence agent who wrote the "Steele Dossier" describing his questionable links to the Russian government. Trump’s lawsuit called the accusations lies that hurt his reputation. Judge... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top