WikiHow Teaching Children how to Lie to their Parents.

 Parents are the ones responsible for their children and in so doing have the right to decide what is in their best interests. The role of the state and the law is only to protect the child in the event that the child’s life is directly threatened by neglect or from physical or psychological danger to the child, including due to the behaviour of the parents. It is the same with all members of society. The state does not have the right to interfere with the parent’s decisions for their child unless those criteria are met. The decision of a parent not to have their child vaccinated is not one of the factors that gives the state the right to intercede and to decide what is best for the child. This undermines the fabric of society.

Vaccines can work well in some cases, less well in other cases. No medical procedure is fundamentally safe. This is both medically and legally accepted. As the ex-Supreme Court Justice, in the USA, Antonin Scalia said, “vaccines are unavoidably unsafe.” He strangely used that justification to give drug companies immunity from prosecution for the damage caused by vaccines. A parent has a right to decide which vaccines, if any, to give their child. Governments, worldwide should not have that decision-making power. Vaccination policy is a central part of global public health. However, it is treated more like a religion than a science, and the many questions about the efficacy and safety of vaccines are not seriously considered. In fact, they are blatantly ignored.

However, in some states in the USA, it is legal for children to be given vaccines without their parent’s consent. But if any damage is done to the child, it is the parent’s responsibility to look after the child, and it is highly unlikely the state would give any compensation to the family, in spite of their legal duty to do so. In many states, ALL childhood vaccines are mandatory in order to attend school. Legal, philosophical and medical exemptions are being taken away in many states. Not many countries have such strict mandatory vaccine laws as the USA. It is recognized that the rights of parents transcend that of the state.

However, with the current Covid19 situation and the focus on a vaccine being the solution, the issue of vaccines is becoming ever more heated with many articles in global media of the rise of “anti-vaxxers.” This is to such an extent that on WikiHow, there is a column on how a child can get vaccinated without parental consent. https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Vaccinated-Without-Parental-Consent#aiinfo

It discusses the ways in which a child can go against the parent’s wishes and get a vaccine and then not to tell the parent afterwards. At the bottom of the article it has these comments:

• Remember that you don't have to tell your parents about getting vaccinated, especially if they are controlling or abusive.You can keep your health choices to yourself, especially if they would be mean to you or make you feel unsafe as a result of your choices. You're allowed to keep a secret if it’s necessary to promote your health and well-being.
• Know what to say if they do find out somehow.Show respect for their position (however illogical it may be), while emphasizing that this is important to you.

"I read about meningitis, and how quickly it can kill someone. It was scary. I don't want to live with that fear hanging over my head. I know that you may not approve. I did this to give myself peace of mind."

"I'm autistic. I can't be turned autistic twice. But I could die of polio, and I'd really rather not."

"I want to be a mom someday. Vaccine-preventable diseases can kill a baby in the womb.[21] I did this to protect my ability to have children in the future."

“Misinformation can spread easily online. Snake-oil peddlers tell scary stories that frighten parents into believing things that aren't true. Concern with whether things are "natural," distrust of authority, and lack of information can lead people to question whether vaccines are safe. There are also cases of confirmation bias, such as people blaming tragedies (from SIDS to car accidents) on vaccines. Some people "fall down the rabbit hole" of misinformation and conspiracy theories. In many cases, these people need empathy and compassion, not scorn.”

“No medical procedure is a perfect guarantee. If you get vaccinated against measles, then you are extremely unlikely to get measles in the future. Even if you did manage to catch measles after the vaccine, you'd likely get a very mild version that wouldn't do any real harm, because the vaccine would have taught your body how to fight off measles. Statistically speaking, you are much safer if you are vaccinated.”

“It's illegal in many countries for parents to kick their minor children out of the house or abandon them, but that doesn't always stop them, so you need to protect yourself. Can you arrange to stay with someone you trust? If not, you should contact an authority figure or mandated reporter, like a teacher, police officer, or a Child Protective Services worker (or the equivalent where you live); they can help you find somewhere to stay.”

COMMENT: This column on WikiHow is attempting to undermine parents and divide them from their own children. Imagine the upset of a confused child, perhaps being coerced by his/her peers, or being pressured by teachers or medical personnel. It allows them to turn against their own parents and even encourages them to report their own parents to state authorities. This can have a devastating impact on the dynamic of the family. What this article is doing is directly interfering into the inner sanctum of a family life, and seeking to give authority of children to representatives of government, in this case, to give a child a vaccine. This is not the moral right of the state even if it has the legal right to interfere in this way. WikiHow articles like this should be removed. It is an insidious intrusion into people’s lives and is based on the false assumptions that all vaccines are safe and are crucial for well-being. That is simply not the case. Some vaccines may be justified while there are others that are highly questionable and have been imposed on the population through the influence of drug companies. Most governments are now so in the pocket of these companies that they have lost their authority to protect the public. That responsibility is with the parents and this should never be given up.