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Doctors are being advised to report parents to authorities with the power to seize children if they refuse vaccinations and a child is at serious risk of harm.

The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA), the body that gives doctors legal representation, says that, in “exceptional circumstances,” a parent’s decision not to vaccinate may necessitate a call to child welfare.

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“In our view, exceptional circumstances where it may be appropriate for a physician to contact a child protection agency would be one where, due to the child’s specific clinical circumstances and local presence of the disease in question, not getting vaccinated threatens the life or long-term health of the child,” Dr. Doug Bell, the group’s associate executive director, said in an email to the Post.

The legal advice on vaccine hesitancy comes amid reports doctors are encountering more parents wanting to delay, space out or outright reject inoculations. But invoking child welfare also has some asking how far the state should intervene. Should parents be punished for not vaccinating?