Doctor: Teens who want vaccines shouldn’t need parental consent

USA Today

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How should doctors like me approach teens like Ethan Lindenberger, who asked to be vaccinated against his mother’s wishes?

Should we refuse a teenager the right to protect himself from a preventable disease or respect the authority of the parents for raising their child as they see fit?

As a physician who cared for critically ill children for more than 30 years at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Arizona, I’ve taken care of several young children who were not vaccinated and who developed measles, leading to advanced medical care.