Friends and families have been torn apart over their political views and personal approach to COVID-19 in the last two years. It should thus come as no surprise that parents in custody disputes have found themselves at odds over the decision of whether their child should be vaccinated against COVID-19. While many take for granted their ability to make decisions relative to their child, an increasing number of parents have found themselves asking the unthinkable: Who gets to decide if my child will be vaccinated?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, somewhere between 69% and 73% of children between the ages of 5 and 17 are fully vaccinated. When boosters are added to the picture, less than half of eligible children in this age bracket have received one. Children under the age of 5, meanwhile, remain ineligible for vaccination. Notably, only the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use by children, and has only been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration for children and adults over the age of 16. At present, the vaccine for children ages 5-15 is not fully authorized; its use is permitted only via Emergency Use Authorization.