We want to hear your thoughts on whether parental consent is always necessary when it comes to vaccinating children against COVID-19.

With nearly 20% of 12-15 year-olds still unvaccinated, paediatricians including Professor John Massie have argued it can be ethical to offer children vaccination even if their parents object.

“It is ethically permissible to vaccinate a young person from the age of 12 years requesting a COVID‐19 vaccine, even if their parents do not provide consent,” Professor Massie and colleagues wrote in the Medical Journal of Australia this week.

“This recommendation will have implications for other situations, including when unvaccinated young people from vaccine‐hesitant families seek catch‐up vaccines.”