SALEM, Ore. — An Oregon court has ruled that eight children in state custody can be given vaccinations over the religion-based protests of their parents.
The children have been removed from the parents’ home in Marion County for reasons that haven’t been disclosed.
They are ages 1 through 8 and are considered wards of the state. They live with relatives.
Their mother and father say vaccinations violate their religious beliefs.
A Department of Human Services spokesman says state law requires child welfare workers to ensure that children in departmental custody get their shots.
The Oregonian reports the children’s attorney and the agency got a court order in April 2012 requiring the shots for a variety of diseases. The state Court of Appeals upheld that order Wednesday.