European Court of Human Rights gives the green light for compulsory vaccinations

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has on Thursday decided that compulsory vaccinations are legal and can be necessary in “democratic” societies. The verdict came after the closure of a complaint brought before the court by Czech families about mandatory vaccinations for children. The court ruling states: “The measures can be seen as ‘necessary in a democratic society’.”

Although the ruling does not deal directly with the Covid-19 vaccine, experts believe it could have an impact on vaccination campaigns against the virus, especially among those who have previously refused to accept the vaccine.

The verdict says that the mandatory vaccinations prescribed by the Czech health authorities are in the “best interests” of children. In addition, the judgment stated: “The goal must be that every child is protected against serious diseases, through vaccination or by means of herd immunity.”

The court ruled that Czech health policy does not violate Article 8 on the right to respect for private life in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

According to Czech law, children must be vaccinated against nine diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and measles.

The case has been brought to court by families who have been fined or whose children have been denied day-care for failing to comply with their statutory vaccination requirement.

But forced vaccinations have not gone smoothly everywhere, at least in some cases in France and Germany. In France, the mayor of the 7th arrondissement in Paris, had wanted to forcefully vaccinate non-priority educational staff. The state cancelled the appointments however.

Rachida Dati, LR mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris expresses her anger over the decision. French daily Le Monde reported that, as part of an expanded vaccination of its inhabitants against Covid 19, the mayor had decided to vaccinate teachers and staff from schools and nurseries in her district. These socio-professional categories do not meet the eligibility criteria, the State claimed and opposed the health strategy developed by the elected official and decided to cancel the meetings already organized.

On Thursday, April 8, Dati admonished the government by sending a letter to the Minister of Health, denouncing the “arbitrary and unjustified decision” taken by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) following this decision.

The administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine caused trouble in Gifhorn, Germany: a 52-year-old high-risk patient had refused the jab, but the head vaccinator insisted. The patient has now reported the forced vaccination to the police.

A forced jab with the AstraZeneca vaccine was not well-received, according to a report in the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung. The family doctor of the 52-year-old Ilmo Wuff, one of the high-risk corona patients due to previous illnesses, certified that Wuff could only be vaccinated with the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine. But at the vaccination center, the head doctor insisted on the controversial AstraZeneca vaccine.

Wuff suffers from the lung disease COPD and is also subject to other health restrictions. Since he is one of the high-risk patients due to his previous illnesses, he has largely avoided contact with other people since the beginning of the Corona crisis, since it could have serious consequences for him. On March 31, 2021, he was able to attend his vaccination appointment at the town hall.

After registering at the vaccination center, however, he was referred to the place where they were giving the vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, the 52-year-old had a certificate from his family doctor that only the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine was possible for him. In addition, Wuff pointed out that the recommendation for the AstraZeneca vaccine is currently not for under 60-year-olds.

“So I was out of the question for this vaccine. My family doctor had certified that only BioNTech should be considered for me.”

However, the lead doctor interfered and insisted that Wuff be vaccinated with AstraZeneca. If not, Wuff would receive no vaccination and would have to wait a long time for a new appointment.

The head doctor thus simply dismissed Wuff’s concerns and gave him the AstraZeneca jab. This outraged Wuff, because in retrospect he has also suffered from side effects. He therefore filed a complaint with the police for assault.