European Court of Human Rights rules compulsory vaccinations legal, ‘may be necessary in democratic societies’

The European Court of Human Rights today ruled compulsory vaccinations to be legal, and “may be necessary in democratic societies”, representing the first time the court has weighed in on vaccinations in a case for mandatory shots for children in the Czech Republic, possibly setting a precedent for COVID-19 vaccines elsewhere.

Deutsche Welle reports that although the ruling did not deal directly with COVID-19 vaccines, it could have implications for the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Legal expert specializing in the ECHR Nicolas Hervieu told AFP the judgment “reinforces the possibility of a compulsory vaccination under conditions of the current COVID-19 epidemic.”