A Queensland mother is openly seeking a doctor to exempt her daughter from vaccinations.
Despite being medically fit to receive them, she wants exemption so she will not be cut off from tax benefits.
The woman wrote to more than 4,000 members of the ‘Vaccine Choice Australia’ Facebook group, saying her doctor reluctantly provided an exemption form for her daughter that expires in a month – and she ‘highly doubts’ she will receive another, reports The Daily Mail.
‘How can I get around this?’ she wote.
‘Are there any locals in Bundaberg who have a doctor who will sign one? Or is there another way I can get around this?
‘Surprisingly my day care is wonderfully accepting of my choice not to vax and aren’t bothered.’
The post comes six months after the government instituted a ‘no jab, no pay’ policy, which restricts parents from receiving child care assistance and Family Tax Benefit A – worth up to $2100 per child, if their child isn’t vaccinated.
It also removes clauses which previously allowed parents to ‘conscientiously object’ to vaccinating their children and still receive family payments.
There are very few ways to get around the new policy, and according to Dr Tony Bartone, Vice President of the Australian Medical Association, the window for exclusion on medical grounds is ‘very narrow’.
‘Any time a doctor signs a legal document – we take that responsibility very seriously. I find it perturbing and concerning that people are actively looking for doctors to avoid vaccination,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
He said any doctor who falsified certificates would be harshly disciplined.
‘We all have to abide by our code of ethics and our responsibilities. If we falsified certificates, that would be viewed very seriously by the authorities and there would be disciplinary action,’ he said.
‘[Vaccination] is no longer a question of agreement – now it’s either yes you’re on the register or no you’re not.
‘Parents who choose not to have their children vaccinated risk weakening the herd immunity and it puts vulnerable people, such as very young babies or people who are undergoing some forms of chemotherapy, at risk.’
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