number-10With thanks to Number 10.gov.uk 6.2.09:

We received a petition asking:

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to not agree to enforcing vaccinations for all children both now and in the future.”

Details of Petition:

“A Labour MP has recently suggested forcing all children to be vaccinated otherwise they cannot attend school and parents should not receive child benefits. Vaccinations can cause various injuries to children and also manipulate only specific parts of the immune system and not necessarily all the appropriate parts.”

· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage

Read the Government’s response

In the UK, immunisation, along with most healthcare, is voluntary and is a system built on informed consent and patient autonomy. A parent cannot be forced to have their child immunised.  There are currently no plans to introduce compulsory immunisation in the UK or to sanction parents who choose not to immunise their child.

The Department of Health encourages parents to immunise their children, as immunisation protects children against diseases which, even today in developed countries, can cause serious long-term ill-health, including mental and/or physical disability, and can even kill.