Attack on Parental Authority: The “Mature Minor” Doctrine Puts Children at Risk
Bypassing parents in favour of state control over children’s health decisions is a hallmark of authoritarian systems.
From Ted Kuntz’s Musings Substack (Sept. 24, 2025)
A new school year has begun, but for many parents in British Columbia, the classroom no longer feels like a safe space. Vaccine Choice Canada President Ted Kuntz has issued a public letter to school officials and public health authorities across the province, warning that policies allowing vaccination of minors without parental consent are a direct assault on parental rights and informed consent.
Kuntz points to the “Mature Minor Doctrine,” a legal concept that permits healthcare providers to vaccinate minors who are deemed capable of understanding the risks and benefits—sometimes without the knowledge or consent of parents. In practice, this doctrine is being used to justify school-based vaccine clinics, where children as young as 13 may be encouraged to make irreversible medical decisions independently.
“Minor children are being advised by individuals who have no prior history with the child that they are ‘mature enough’ to make their own medical decisions,” Kuntz writes. “These health professionals cannot make a proper assessment of maturity, nor correctly assess that a child understands the risks and benefits.”
Kuntz’s letter argues that this practice violates the principles of informed consent, particularly when vaccines carry known risks and contraindications that may not be evident to a child—or even to an unfamiliar healthcare worker.
He calls on school administrators, trustees, and public health officers to end vaccine clinics in schools and restore respect for family medical autonomy.
“Vaccination should be discussed with a trusted health professional who knows the child’s and family’s medical history,” he writes.
Informed Consent and Canadian Law
Under Canadian medical law, informed consent requires that patients—or their legal guardians—be fully informed of the risks and benefits of any medical procedure. Vaccination, as Kuntz notes, is not an exception.
“All childhood vaccines in Canada are voluntary and subject to the legal requirement of informed consent,” he states.
Kuntz’s letter also challenges assumptions about vaccine safety, citing studies that question whether the current childhood schedule has ever been properly evaluated for long-term health outcomes.
A Call to Action for Parents and Educators
Kuntz is urging parents to share his letter with teachers, principals and school boards, and to demand transparency from public health.
“Our schools are participating in an intentional effort to undermine the responsibility of parents to protect their children,” he warns.
He concludes with a reminder that the protection of children begins with respecting the role of parents:
“Public health officers, school administrators, teachers and others who participate in coercing the vaccination of minors may be complicit in the harming of children. It’s important that our schools and health professionals behave in law-abiding and ethical ways so we can trust that our children are safe when they go to school.”
🩵 Read Ted Kuntz’s full letter HERE
📣 Share this post to help defend parental authority and informed consent in Canada.
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