COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids: What Happens When Divorced And Separated Parents Disagree?

• Published date: 01 June 2021
• Subject Matter: Family and Matrimonial, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Family Law, Divorce, Operational Impacts and Strategy
• Law Firm: Miller Thomson LLP
• Author: Ms Caroline Kim and Patricia Fourcand

The COVID-19 vaccine has recently been approved for children aged 12 and up. For many teens and parents this is good news and signals a return to pre-COVID life.

But what happens when separated parents disagree about whether their children should get the COVID-19 vaccine?

Although most separating parents negotiate agreements and make concessions about schedules and decision-making, it is impossible to compromise when it comes to vaccinations. Either a child is vaccinated or they are not - there is no in between.

This creates a difficult situation as doctors will not vaccinate a child unless both parents agree. If parents do not agree, doctors will want to see an agreement or court order that clearly states which parent can make vaccination decisions.

For parents where one person has sole decision-making responsibility ("sole custody" or "sole parental authority" in Quebec) that parent can simply choose to vaccinate their child - or not. The other parent can then allow the decision, or try to ask the court for a change.

Similarly, for parents who share decision-making responsibility ("joint custody" or "joint parental authority" in Quebec) but cannot agree on vaccination, court may be the only recourse.

At court, a judge will consider the specific child's needs, government and medical recommendations, and then make a decision based on the best interest of that particular child.

Recently two Miller Thomson lawyers, Caroline Kim and Kaitlin Jagersky, represented a father who wanted to vaccinate his children (A.P. v. L.K., 2021 ONSC 150 (CanLII)). In A.P. v. L.K., the parents had a separation agreement that addressed every other aspect of parenting. The parents were not, however, able to agree about vaccinations so they took the issue to an arbitrator.

The mother and her lawyer said that the children had underlying medical conditions that made them at risk for side effects...