For those in Australia...please rally behind these parents

[Guest guest]

Please take time to call your reps etc and offer support for the

couple in this e-mail. You could be next.

 

Parents in hiding because they refuse Hep. B vaccine for newborn son

 

When is it OK to steal children?

 

Thursday, August 21st, 2008 - For Immediate Release:

 

A NSW couple are tonight in hiding after hospital doctors and the

Department

of Community Services took out a court order insisting that their

baby, who

is now only 48 hours old, be vaccinated against Hep B.

 

Steven and Cassandra* are the proud parents of baby Jonathan, born in

Sydney

on Tuesday this week. Cassandra had tested positive for Hep B several

years

ago and so, before leaving hospital with their newborn, she was

advised to

give the baby a Hep B vaccination. Having done her research, she

believed

that her child was at greater risk from the vaccine than from Hep B.

She

refused the shot as did her husband. After all, vaccination is not

compulsory in Australia.

 

Because of this refusal, Cassandra and Steven were informed by

hospital

staff that they were not allowed to leave the hospital until the

child was

vaccinated. Refusal to do so would result in their arrest and a loss

of

custody. Due to these threats, they agreed to make an appointment at

their

GP on Thursday afternoon to have the shot administered. DOCs was

called in

to witness the vaccination and they were sent home with a warning

that they

had better show up for the shot.

 

The parents consulted with an advisor at Mr Kevin Green's office, the

Minister for Community Services. They were informed that they were

entitled

to 72 hours to seek both legal and medical advice before this issue

would be

forced.

 

With that knowledge, they cancelled their appointment and prepared to

find a

good lawyer and medical advisor the next day. Unfortunately, once the

appointment was cancelled, DOCs and the doctors involved at the

hospital

went into overdrive. They applied for and received a court order

stating

that this little baby had to be vaccinated by midnight tonight

(Thursday,

August 21st), a mere 48 hours after birth, or the parents would be

found in

contempt of court and would lose custody. Within a half an hour of

this

order, both DOCs representatives and the police were at this family's

home.

 

The parents are now in hiding and are hoping to be able to seek an

injunction tomorrow stopping this court order and allowing them the

time to

do what any Australian is entitled to do - to inform themselves of the

benefits and risks of vaccination and to make a decision based on

what is

best for their child. This right is enshrined in the 9th edition of

the

Australian Immunisation Handbook put out by the National Health and

Medical

Research Council (NH & MRC) - the guide to vaccination which is

supposed to be

followed by doctors and hospitals across Australia. This handbook

states:

 

" Valid consent can be defined as the voluntary agreement by an

individual to

a

proposed procedure, given after appropriate and reliable information

about

the

procedure, including the potential risks and benefits, has been

conveyed to

the individual. "

 

Please note the use of the word voluntary. When parents are forced to

vaccinate against their wishes in a country like Australia which does

not

have compulsory vaccination, this is in contravention to the federal

government's regulations regarding vaccination.

 

These parents are now on the run with their baby - living in fear at

a time

that should be the happiest time of their lives.

 

*Please note - names have been changed to protect these parents.

 

About Australian Vaccination Network, Inc.

The AVN is a non-profit, volunteer-run charitable association. Since

1994,

the AVN has provided information and support to the general community

who

are trying to make informed choices about vaccination and health.

Their

lobbying in Federal Parliament has ensured that compulsory

vaccination for

children has not come to pass and they are the major reporters of

vaccine

adverse reactions to ADRAC (The Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory

Committee).

 

For more information visit www.avn.org.au

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