Tel Aviv family court orders catch-up vaccines for two children despite mother’s objection

The Tel Aviv Family Court has ordered routine catch-up vaccinations for two brothers, aged 9 and 7, even though their mother refused to consent. Judge Sgalit Ofek based the ruling on a medical opinion submitted by the father, which said the children should be vaccinated as soon as possible. The boys had not received any vaccines in the past two years.

The decision relied on the parents’ divorce agreement, approved in March 2023, which required joint decisions on medical matters and, in case of a serious health dispute, referral to a professional expert whose opinion would be binding. The father said their family doctor recommended completing the vaccinations immediately and argued that his ex-wife’s refusal exposed the children to unreasonable risk.

The mother said she opposed the shots because of alleged unusual side effects from a previous vaccination, including palpitations, seizures and a 38-degree fever. She also argued that the father had not shown a specific medical need for the catch-up doses and claimed that, in health matters, mothers are generally the primary decision-makers, especially when a child is ill.

Judge Ofek rejected her position, saying the father would be authorized to decide on the children’s health matters in this case and could give the vaccinations despite the mother’s refusal, in line with the doctor’s recommendation. The court dismissed the mother’s claims about prior side effects as unsupported, noting that she offered no evidence and did not ask for an expert appointment, but instead treated herself as an expert based on her own claimed knowledge. The judge also said the children’s own views, even if they opposed vaccination, were not decisive because they are only 9 and 7. She found the vaccines necessary for the boys’ safety and welfare, allowed the father to sign for the shots alone, and ordered the mother to pay him NIS 5,000 in legal costs.